


Can't Buy Me Love One Shots

by Holtzmann_lover



Series: Can't Buy Me Love [4]
Category: Yesterday (2019)
Genre: F/F, one shots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:41:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 32,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24280753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Holtzmann_lover/pseuds/Holtzmann_lover
Summary: A collection of one shots based on my story, Can't Buy Me Love.
Relationships: Debra Hammer/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Can't Buy Me Love [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1468823
Comments: 18
Kudos: 9





	1. Sick Day

Avery had a headache when she woke up. Her nose was runny and and her throat hurt. She rolled over and realized that Debra was not in bed. It wasn’t a surprise. Debra was an early riser and did yoga to start each day. Snowflake had taken Debra’s side of the bed and Avery knew she should get Snowflake off the bed before Debra came back in.

She heard the door to the beach house open and close and she knew it was too late. She nudged Snowflake and hoped he would get the hint, but he smiled and started to pant, thinking she wanted to play. 

Debra stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the situation in the room.

“Why aren’t you up?” She asked. “And why is there a dog in my bed?”

“I told him to get off. He just didn’t listen.” Her voice came out nasally.

Debra turned her attention to Snowflake who now wanted to play with her.

“Get off the bed.” Debra snapped her fingers and pointed to the ground. Snowflake whined but jumped off the bed and left the room. Debra sat on the bed. “Why aren’t you up?”

“I feel like shit,” Avery told her and sniffed.

“Must I remind you that you have a meeting in an hour and a half?” Debra asked and Avery’s eyes widened. “So tell your nose to stop running and get a move on!”

Avery felt a little light headed when she got up but she hoped it would go away with water and food. Debra walked out of the room and Avery could hear her talking to Snowflake about not getting on the bed. She chuckled and changed into a sweatshirt and leggings. She couldn’t be bothered to dress more fancy than that. She had no idea how Debra wore blazers all the time. She brushed her teeth and ran a brush through her hair before going to the kitchen. They were only staying at the beach house for a couple more days and would return to Debra’s main house. Because of that, they didn’t have much food.

“We’ll just pick something up on the way,” Debra told her as she sat at the table on her iPad. Avery nods and grabs some water to try to settle her dizziness and sat at the table as well.

“We got about a half hour before we should leave,” Debra muttered, not looking up from her work.

Avery nodded and Debra looked up when she didn’t hear an answer.

“Avery! You look super pale…” She pointed out.

“Yeah, probably. I feel like a dump truck,” Avery replied and put her head on the table.

Debra knew she shouldn’t cancel the meeting. It was super important for the tour, but the girlfriend side of her came out and was worried. The caring side of Debra was only shared with Avery and Avery felt special that she was able to see it.

“Do you need me to cancel the meeting?” Debra asked.

Avery sighed, “I don’t know. No. I think I’m fine,” She decided and stands up. But her legs felt wobbly and she fell back into the chair. She leaned down and put her head between her legs. Snowflake read the nervous energy in the room and jumped up and began to bark, sensing trouble.

Debra jumped up as well and kneeled in front of Avery, rubbing her leg.

“When was the last time you ate?” Debra questioned. Her mind was going to places they shouldn’t have, but she couldn’t help it.

“At lunch yesterday. I got a headache at like six so I went to bed,” Avery mumbles. Debra got up and grabbed a banana and more water. She also grabbed the trash can and stuck it by Avery in case she needed it.

“You are not leaving that chair until the banana and water are gone,” She ordered and Avery nodded, slowly unpeeling the banana. Debra pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialled a number.

“Marcus Peters,” said the voice.

“Marcus. It’s Debra Hammer, I need to cancel Avery Mercer’s meeting.”

There’s silence on the other end.

“Debra, this is the major marketing meeting of meetings.”

“Yeah, I know and I said I need to cancel,” She raised her voice slightly.

“You're canceling the day of?” Marcus asked.

“Yeah, she nearly fuckin passed out.” Debra told him.

She heard a sigh from the other end.

“I don’t know what you’re wanting me to do, Debra. I’ve known you for like five years now. You know what these meetings are like and you know how many people come to them.”

Debra groaned and looked back over at Avery. Avery had finished the banana and was resting her head on the table.

“Okay, buddy listen. You’re gonna cancel this meeting now or you can pay for the hospital bills that she’s gonna get when she collapses on your floor,” Debra firmly said.

“I’ll just...cancel the meeting and set it for next week at the same time,” He decided.

“I’m glad we could have this talk,” Debra said and hung up.

She walked over to Avery and touched her arm gently. “Let's go back to bed, baby.” 

Avery nodded and Debra helped her up. Snowflake followed them into the room and Debra instructed him to lay on the floor. They both climbed into bed and Debra wrapped her arms around Avery. She tried not to grimace when she realized how sweaty Avery was.

“I love you,” Avery mumbled and Debra looked down at her, brushing her hair out of her face.

“I love you too,” Debra said back and kissed her.

A few days later, Debra came down with the same illness and Avery took care of her. Avery was worried that Debra would be mad that she was sick, but Debra didn’t say much at all. Debra slept a lot when she was sick and Avery preferred that than getting blamed for something that wasn’t her fault. Her favorite part was the cuddles in bed where they ate soup and watched bad movies. Avery soon decided that maybe being sick with Debra wasn’t such a bad thing.


	2. Early Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A flashback from Avery and Lily's past.

The doorbell rang and Lily answered the door. Avery grinned and all but leaped in Lily’s house. It was her old house but she gave it to Lily when she moved in with Debra and now Lily was moving in with Amanda who had recently moved to LA. There was no use for the house anymore. Avery and Lily were both sad as the house had been a part of both of their lives for many years now.

Avery dragged the boxes through the door after her. “Let’s do this.”

They put on a playlist of music and grabbed some wine before getting to work on Lily’s bedroom first where most of the stuff was. They danced while throwing things in boxes and sipping from their glasses. They had a  _ donate  _ box, a  _ trash  _ box, and several of  _ keep  _ boxes. Soon all the clothes in Lily’s closet disappeared into boxes along with her books and movies. Her dresser and desk were cleared off too. The room was almost empty except for one picture on Lily’s night stand that Avery took the time to look at.

* * *

_ “We graduated!” A young Lily screamed. Her cap had been thrown up in the air, giving her hat hair. Avery’s long black hair had been groomed since throwing hers up in the air. _

_ “We did!” Avery screamed back and kissed the top of Lily’s head. _

_ “I’ve never felt so free!” Lily yelled. _

_ “Ms. Abbott, I realize that you’re happy but you’re still on school grounds. Please keep your voice down,” The principal, Mr. Smith, scolded. _

_ “We’re leaving, sorry,” Avery apologized and grabbed her friend’s hand and dragged her to her car. Avery got in the driver’s seat and turned on the car. Lily got in the passenger seat. _

_ “WE’RE FREE!!” Avery screams at the top of her lungs. _

_ “WE’RE FREE!!” Lily screamed along. _

_ Once they settled down, they giggled. They were so happy. It felt like their lives were just beginning. After years and years of school, it was finally over. No more gross cafeteria food, no more waking up before the sun did, and no more teachers telling them what to do. The rest of their lives were theirs to do whatever they wanted to do. _

_ “I wish my parents were here. They’d be so happy,” Avery said. _

_ “Call them later. I’m gonna call my mom later,” Lily said and Avery agreed. _

_ “We’ve got the rest of the day. What do you want to do?” Avery asked and Lily smirked. _

* * *

_ “Dude, why didn’t we do this earlier?” Avery asked. They were parked out front of a tattoo parlor. Neither one of them were nervous. They were both excited to get inked. _

_ They got out of the car but Lily quickly stopped them. “Wait! We need a picture!” _

_ “Okay, babe,” Avery agreed and Lily got out her phone. Avery grabbed their caps from the ceremony because it was a special day and they needed to be in the picture too. She handed Lily hers and they put them on and smiled for the selfie in front of the tattoo shop. After, they put the caps back in the car and walked in, whispering about what they wanted. _

* * *

_ “You girls are lucky. Usually I wouldn’t have something this big open but luckily I’m pretty open today,” The tattoo artist said and told them he’d turn their sketches into stencils. They nodded and sat down on the provided couch in the lobby. _

_ A blonde lady sat down on a couch that faced them. She looked very busy and it seemed like she would bite anyone who bothered her. Her hair was pulled up into a bun on the back of her head and she wore a blazer with heels. Her face was deep into her phone and it looked like she wasn’t even registering that people were around her. _

_ “Are you getting a tattoo?” Lily asked the lady and Avery cringed inside. _

_ “Why else would I be here?” The lady narrowed her eyes. _

_ “Maybe someone you know is getting a tattoo.” Lily shrugged. _

_ “I’m getting a tattoo,” She responded. _

_ “What of?” Avery couldn’t help but ask. _

_ “What are you guys getting?” The lady asked so the attention wasn’t on her. _

_ “We’re getting matching tattoos. We’re best friends,” Lily explained and the lady made a face. _

_ “Are you sure you want that?” Her face scrunched up. “Maybe you won’t be best friends forever. Then you’ll have that reminder for the rest of your life.” _

_ Avery was about to fire back and tell her that Lily had been her best friend since kindergarten, but the tattoo artist called them back and so all she could do was glare at the older lady as they were led back into a small room. _

_ “Choose who goes first,” He said and they both decided that Avery would go first. She sat in the big black chair and the artist prepared the gun and cleaned her skin before putting the stencil on and making sure it looked right. _

_ “So are you guys a couple? I only ask because of your body language towards each other,” He asked and got to work on filling in the tattoo. _

_ “No, we’re not,” Lily said.  _

_ It was true. They weren’t a couple. But for the last couple of months, they had gotten awfully close. Kissing each other wasn’t new to them anymore and neither was calling each other babe. They had yet to make anything official though. Nothing was stopping them though. They had both decided that college wasn’t for them and they had no plans of moving. The world was in their hands and they could do whatever they wanted with it. _

* * *

_ “It’s done,” The artist said and Lily grinned at her new tattoo on her arm. They both had the same tattoo on opposite arms. A rose with a moon above it. Avery’s rose was filled in while Lily’s moon was filled in. They were in love with the new addition to their arms. _

_ They paid the guy and made sure to give a good tip before walking out. The lady who had spoken to them before was gone and Avery still couldn’t help but wonder what tattoo she was getting. _

_ “I’m really happy,” Lily spoke up after they got into the car again. “I graduated, I got a new tattoo. Life feels good.” _

_ “I’m really happy too,” Avery smiled at her. They leaned in close and connected their lips together as they held each other in their arms in the car, proceeding to make out in the parking lot of the tattoo shop. _

* * *

Avery smiled at the fond memory, taking a look at them one more time before packing away the photo. The looks on their faces, the caps on their head, and the tattoo shop behind them would never be forgotten. They moved to the kitchen and packed away all of Lily’s pots and pans before Avery sighed, tired from the work and dancing.

“I gotta get back to Debra but we should pick this up tomorrow,” Avery said and Lily nodded.

“We did good work,” She said and showed Avery out the door after giving each other a quick hug.

Avery stepped outside and climbed into her Jeep with a small smile on her face still. Life was good.


	3. Rock Bottom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Debra became to be Debra.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Graphic suicide attempt

Twenty two year old Debra grimaced as the rough tequila slid down her throat. It was gross, but her friend, Chloe, had shoved a cup in her hand and was now expecting her to drink it. She was a people pleaser. She always had been. Especially when it came to her dad, who seemed to care more about her grades than her as a person.

“Do you want more?” Chloe yelled over the loud music at the party as the alcohol vanished. Despite what the outsiders saw, Chloe was a decent human and cared about Debra.

“Why do we need that crap when we have this?” Debra said and pulled a couple of smaller bottles out of her bag. She handed one to Chloe and Chloe screamed a ‘hell yeah!’ before downing the alcohol. 

Debra enjoyed the loud parties. She enjoyed the drinking. She enjoyed the feeling of getting high. The feeling of escaping even if it was just for a few hours. She could be anyone she wanted to be. Not some failure that got A’s and B’s. Senior year of college was tough and it was quickly getting to her. Business school was hard, no matter what people said.

The hours passed by and very quickly it became the next morning. Debra was laying down and staring at the sky but didn’t register that she was. She didn’t know what time it was and she didn't know where Chloe had wandered off to. Did she go to the bathroom? Or had Chloe realized that she was an utter failure just like her father did? She let a tear slip down her face but she couldn’t force herself to get up and find out.

“Debra!” Chloe snapped and Debra slowly turned her head to look at her.

“Good. You didn’t leave me,” She sighed and looked back up.

Chloe walked towards her and inspected her. “God, what did you take? You’re laying on top of a car. Okay, we gotta get you home, dude. You’re gonna kill yourself.”

“Maybe that’s not a bad idea,” Debra commented and Chloe looked at her like she was crazy.

“Dude, do you need help? Cuz my mom is a psychiatrist and she wouldn't be able to treat you but one of her colleagues could,” Chloe offered.

Debra sighed and smiled. “I really appreciate the offer. But I promise I’m fine. Just a little stressed with homework.”

Chloe studied her for a minute and decided that Debra was telling the truth. She basically carried the drugged up girl to the apartment they shared and tucked her friend into bed after grabbing her some water and heading to bed herself.

“Chloe, wait,” Debra mumbled from her bed.

Chloe looked back at her. “Yeah?”

“Thanks for being a really great friend.”

Chloe smiled and went to respond but Debra had already fallen asleep.

* * *

Debra panicked as she saw the paper in her hands. Her semester grades. They were all A’s and one B. Not bad. But to her father, she might as well have been failing. Now she was supposed to mail them to her dad. She bit her lip as she tried to figure out what to do. Ben, the nerd in the class could print her out a new copy that had all A’s. But even he had a price. Which made him even smarter.

Debra sighed as she put the paper in an envelope and wrote her home address on it before sticking it in the mail. She would just have to suffer whatever was coming her way.

* * *

“A B?!” Rob was enraged and had angrily called his daughter regarding her grades. “I have taught you better than to get B’s. What has gotten into you?”

“I-I…” Debra was at a loss for words. She never knew how to deal with her angry father. She wasn’t confident enough to stand up to her father and never knew what to say. She was trying her hardest and he had failed to give her support.

“You have to work harder or you’re gonna end up homeless with no money,” Rob rambled. “How are you going to pay for rent? For food?”

Debra kept quiet. She already had more money than any other student on the campus and she was determined to keep it that way. She  _ loved  _ money. She  _ needed _ money. She  _ craved _ money. She wanted to be the richest person living and no one would stop her.

“What do I have to do to impress you?” She whispered into the phone. She felt tears come to the surface of her eyes and she furiously wiped them away.

“Well for starters, don’t get a B,” Rob said. He said the letter B like it was dangerous. “What would your mother think if she were alive?”

“Don’t you dare bring her into this. She’s far more of a parent than you ever were,” Debra snapped.   
  


“And you’re not nearly the daughter that I deserve to have,” Rob said back, making Debra hang up the phone. This time, she let the tears fall freely down her face as she gasped for air.

The door was thrown open revealing Chloe who held a worried expression on her face. She noticed Debra, who was now curled up in the corner, and rushed over to her. She wrapped her arms around her friend and Debra sobbed into her arms.

They sat together and Chloe rubbed Debra’s back some and said soothing things to her. It calmed Debra down a little but the harsh words from the years that had passed still repeated themselves in her head. It wasn’t just this phone call. It was every phone call. A weekly reminder that she was a failure.

Chloe checked her watch and cursed, “Shit. I got class in five minutes. I gotta go or I’m gonna fail the class.”

Debra sniffled, “It’s okay. Thanks for helping, Chloe.”

Chloe gave her friend one last hug and disappeared out the door. Debra was alone now. The only thing that gave her company was her thoughts. And she didn’t really like her thoughts right now.

She was hungry. She hadn’t eaten for a day and she felt her stomach twist with hunger. She forced herself to get up and head to the kitchen where she poured some soup into a bowl. She ate it quietly. She had a headache from crying and she was dehydrated.

Was she really a bad daughter? She worked hard to please her father. She had good grades, a best friend, and she considered herself to be a decent person who was kind and had good morals. But every daughter wanted their parent’s approval and since her mom had died, she only had her dad. And her dad made it clear that she was doing the opposite of what he wanted. It hurt. She felt horrible. And if her dad had said that she failed, then she had failed. And if she couldn’t please anyone then what was the point of trying?

Debra finished her soup and placed her bowl and spoon into the sink next to a kitchen knife. She eyed the knife and her legs itched. She had never done something so extreme before but as she looked at the knife, the feeling felt  _ welcoming _ . She grabbed the knife and rinsed the food off it before going to the bathroom and closing the door.

She was wearing shorts. It was a hot enough day to do so and she liked her legs. She thought they were hot and she wanted to show them off. She sat on the closed toilet and ran the side of the knife that wasn’t sharp along her thigh. The metal felt good. And then before she knew what she was doing, she had flipped the knife around and dragged the blade through her skin a couple of times.

Debra panicked when no blood had come to the surface. Had she not cut deep enough? The answer was revealed when blood dripped down her leg. It was a lot and Debra didn’t know how to stop it. But she needed to do more. She felt  _ pleasure  _ in hurting herself. She bit her lip as she felt pain in her legs and she knew she had to stop after the second leg was ruined. She didn’t know how she was going to stop the blood now. She made herself stand up but she felt wobbly and more blood rushed down her legs.

She grasped the wall, trying to balance herself, failing miserably. Debra let herself slide down the wall as the tears fell down once more. Her legs felt like they were numb and the next thing she remembered was laying on the bathroom floor, closing her eyes. Maybe this was the best thing she’d done for herself.

* * *

Debra snapped awake as the door burst open. She made herself sit up in bed. She was in a hospital. Her legs were bandaged up and she had an IV sticking out of her wrist, held together by tape. Chloe was sitting in a chair beside the bed, makeup running down her face.

“Debra, I thought you had died! How dare you!” She sobbed. She was relieved that Debra was going to be okay.

Debra rolled her eyes at Chloe’s crying. Of course she was okay. She was alive. That meant she was okay.

She looked over at the nurse who had entered the room. She busied herself by checking Debra’s vitals. When they satisfied her, she nodded and sat down on a chair next to Chloe.

“How are you feeling, Debra?”

Debra didn’t know how to respond so she kept quiet.

“Your friend called an ambulance for you. It’s lucky she did or you might not have made it. You lost a lot of blood,” The nurse explained.

“Maybe that was my intention,” Debra snapped. She was upset. Now she had to deal with the consequences of her actions.

The nurse sighed, “We have a psychiatrist coming up soon to see you. You need help Debra.”

“No, I don’t,” Debra insisted.

The nurse looked at her and nodded, leaving the room. She couldn’t get through to Debra.

* * *

Chloe hadn’t left Debra’s side since she was admitted. It annoyed Debra. She didn’t need to be coddled. She already had the nurses and psychiatrist for that. But after two days of being huddled after and having the gauze on her legs changed, she could go home.

“I’m sure you could get some time off of school,” Chloe said as she helped Debra pack so they could leave.

“I don’t need time off. I need you to get away from me,” Debra said.

“What do you mean? We have to go home,” Chloe said.

Debra laughed, “I’m not going home.”

“Well you can’t be alone and you need to take your antidepressants and go to therapy,” Said Chloe.

“I can do it myself. All you ever do is get in my business,” Debra barked out. “ I’m gonna be the richest business woman. I don’t need anyone in my life and I don’t need  _ you _ .”

Chloe looked hurt as Debra gave her one last look and disappeared from the hospital. Chloe never saw her again after that day.

It was at that moment that Debra built the walls to protect herself. No more letting people in, no more getting walked over, and no more being nice to people. She had been hurt too many times because of that and it needed to stop. She didn’t need Rob to support her. She didn't need Chloe to support her. She had gotten nowhere with them. She would do this all on her own.


	4. Stressed Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Debra is addicted to smoking.

Debra was stressed out to the max. She fired a client of hers for illegally taking from other people’s songs and that meant a lot of money was going to be lost. How did this always happen to her specifically? Jack Malik wasn't the first nor would he be the last to take other people’s music.

So she smoked a lot. Smoking helped her relax. And although she thought nicotine was absolutely disgusting and she shamed others for doing it, the thought of burning lungs as she smoked made her want to never stop.

She pulled up to her house and marched inside where Avery was playing with Snowflake. He was learning new tricks and he almost had “spin” mastered. Debra walked into the kitchen and looked in the drawers, slamming them shut when she couldn’t find what she was looking for.

“You good?” Avery asked, petting Snowflake. The happy dog wanted to play more.

“Where are my cigarettes?” She asked, still opening and slamming drawers.

Avery looked at her in confusion, “You finished them yesterday. Remember? You were going to pick up more today.”

Debra groaned, realizing she was right. She was going to get more but then she had to fire her client and that wasn’t an easy job. A lot of paperwork and calling went into firing with the agency and she was tired now and just wanted to have a cigarette before she went to bed.

“You can have a couple of mine,” Avery offered.

Avery was a smoker too but she didn’t smoke nearly as often as Debra did. Lily was more of a person who vaped and smoked weed but she wasn’t huge on cigarettes so Avery always had extras.

Debra accepted the offer, “Where are they?”

“In our room,” Avery told her. Snowflake nudged her with his nose due to the lack of attention he was receiving.

Debra left the pair alone and went off to find the cigarettes. She craved them almost as much as she craved money. The way the cigarette felt between her fingers, the smell, and even the way it made her cough sometimes, all left her wanting more.

She located the cigarettes along with a lighter in Avery’s bag that was thrown on the bed and let herself out on the balcony that was connected to their bedroom.

Not long after, Debra had accidentally ran out of Avery’s cigarettes. She really didn’t mean to smoke them all but now she had. She would have to buy Avery new ones so she wouldn't get mad. But that could be for tomorrow. It had been a long day and she needed rest.

  
  


* * *

The next day after work, Debra went out to buy more cigarettes for Avery and herself. She paid for the cigarettes and went back to the car, putting one carton in her bag for Avery and keeping one in the car for herself. But just because work was done didn't mean she could go home. She still had a ton of errands she needed to run.

And she felt a little guilty at the end of the day when she realized that the carton of cigarettes was nearly finished and only one remained. So she smoked that one too to help relax her from the guilt. She sighed and got out of the car, not bothering to throw away the empty pack.

“Here,” She got Avery’s attention when she got inside and threw her the new pack of cigarettes she got for her.

Avery was touched by the small gesture as Debra talked about how she accidentally used all of hers and so she bought herself and Avery more.

  
  


* * *

“Can I take your car to the studio? Mine’s in the shop,” Avery asked Debra the next morning. Debra didn't have any meetings so she had the day off.

“I don’t care,” Debra shrugged and Avery was really surprised by her response. But she wasn’t going to push it. She grabbed Debra’s keys and walked out to the car to head to work.

The weather was nice out and she rolled down the windows to let the breeze in as she drove. She started to get the urge herself to smoke some but she realized that she had forgotten her own cigarettes at home. She sighed and waited until she was at a red light to open to the glove box to steal one of Debra’s. Debra had taken the rest of hers so she decided that it was okay if she just had one of her girlfriend’s.

But she didn't even need to look in the glove box because an empty box sat on the passenger seat of her car. Avery vaguely remembered Debra mentioning that she had also gotten herself some at the shop the previous day. Had she really smoked a whole pack of cigarettes in one day? If so, Avery felt like it was her job to help her out before she died of lung cancer.

* * *

That night, Avery found Debra sitting outside on the balcony with a cigarette in her hand. She sighed and decided it was time for an intervention. She didn’t really know how it would end up going. She wouldn’t be surprised if Debra told her to fuck off, but she was going to try because she cared about the love of her life.

“What’s up?” Avery asked casually as she walked outside, sitting on the chair next to Debra. Snowflake, who was already outside, came to sit by her.

“Nothing, I’m gonna have to go in and get more cigarettes,” Debra told her.

“Sorry, they’re all gone,” Avery said, watching how Debra would react.

“No, that can’t possibly be right,” Debra shook her head. “I swore I just saw some.”

“There was, but then I had one. And then another. And soon they were all gone,”

“What the fuck, Avery? You can’t go around smoking other people’s cigarettes,” Debra scolded. She looked mad.

“Really?” Avery looked confused, “Cuz that’s exactly what you did.”

“So what if I did?” Debra snapped, getting up from her spot. “I’m going to get more.”

Debra disappeared inside and Avery sighed as she waited for her girlfriend to return. She knew an intervention wouldn't go well in the first place but she hoped that Debra would at least try to see her side. Debra appeared once more, holding a nearly full pack of cigarettes.

“They’re right here, Avery.” She shoved them in her face so she could see that there were in fact cigarettes left.

“You’re right, I lied,” Avery admitted. “But did you see how mad you got when I mentioned that they were gone?”

“No,” She said before lighting the next cigarette.

“Because you’re addicted to smoking,” Avery explained. “All you cared about was if you had cigarettes or not.”

“I’m not addicted, Avery. Stop with the bullshit.”

“Go two days without smoking then,” Avery challenged.

“Don’t tell me what to do.”

Avery sighed. She didn't know how she could continue the intervention but she couldn't just give up. Avery Mercer was not a quitter and she wouldn't allow some words by Debra to stop her.

“Please stop, Debra. You’re gonna kill yourself if you keep smoking the way you are,” She pleaded, “I know I smoke too, but I care about you and your lungs are going to be ruined forever if you don’t slow down. I can’t watch you do this to yourself.”

Debra stayed quiet for a minute, watching Avery. Avery didn’t know what Debra was going to say to that, but she was ready. And if she needed to somehow convince Debra more that smoking was bad, then she would.

“Fine,” Debra said after a while. “If it means this much to you, then I’ll cut back. But I’m not quitting.”

Avery sighed in relief, “Thank you. That’s all I ask.”

Debra nodded before offering her one. “Do you want one?”

Avery nodded, “Yeah, I do.”


	5. Who You'd Be Today

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Debra coping with her mom's death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warnings: graphic death and homophobic actions.

“I think I’m going to go out tonight,” Eleanor told her daughter.

She set down Debra’s dinner in front of her before smiling at her and sitting across from her, smiling.

“I’ll be fine, Mom,” Debra said. “Where’s Dad?”

“Who knows.” Eleanor waved a hand.

Debra nodded and finished her dinner before following her mom to her bedroom where she helped her with her makeup and chose her hairstyle for the night. Debra wasn’t huge on makeup and hair but she was decent enough and it was the bonding that Debra enjoyed the most. She loved her mother so much and always valued their time together. When Eleanor was ready, she kissed her daughter’s head. 

“I love you,” She told her daughter.

“Mom, I know,” Debra groaned and pushed her mom away. “You don’t need to tell me every time you go out.”

“Okay, okay,” Eleanor sighed and waved goodbye before leaving.

Debra sighed as well and turned her attention back to the show that was on the television.

* * *

Eleanor had been drunk. Maybe even beyond drunk because she couldn’t remember how many drinks she had or couldn’t remember what bar she had been at. But she needed to get home so she decided to walk and pick up her car the next day.

She struggled to get up and walk as she left the bar, stumbling over her two feet as she tried to balance. The last thing she wanted to do was fall. There were some people lingering around the outside of the bar and she waved at them.

“Woah, do you need help?” A guy asked as she tripped.

“I don’t need help,” She slurred, “I’ve got it.”

The guy looked like he didn’t trust that she would make it home safely but somehow Eleanor was already halfway in the street. The guy turned back to his friends and they started laughing and joking more. Everyone was having a good time with the cigarettes and the alcohol.

Eleanor wasn’t paying much attention to her surroundings. She had to get home. But she did have a fun night. She couldn’t remember the last time she had let loose, drank too much, and even danced some to the music. She would have to do it again. She felt wild and free.

“Shit,” She swore as she dropped her purse. She didn't realize that she was in the middle of the street and slowly bent down to pick it up so she wouldn’t fall over. A car horn sounded and she looked up just as the front of the car hit her with full force, crushing every bone in her body.

* * *

Debra sat outside her mother’s hospital room on the floor. Her dad said they were doing everything they could to make her heal, but Debra knew what was wrong. Her mom was dying and she couldn’t do anything to help her. She felt useless as she sat on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest.

Rob came out of her mother’s hospital room with a grim look on his face and he motioned for her to follow him.

“Is she okay?” Debra asked as she ran to catch up with Rob.

“Your mother just got hit by a car. Of course she’s not okay,” He sighed.

“But will she be?” Debra asked with a small amount of hope in her voice. Maybe her mom actually would come through.

Rob turned around faster than Debra had ever seen him even move. “Your mother is dead, okay? Now just be quiet!”

Debra stopped in her tracks. The words were a joke, right? They had to be. Her mom was just out getting a few drinks an hour ago. Surely she would see her when she got home. This was just a sick joke that her dad was playing on her to make her think that her mom was dead. She couldn’t be dead. She refused to believe that death had been the outcome of her mom leaving the house.

But her mom wasn’t there when she got home. Debra checked every room and closet the house had and there were no signs of her anywhere. It was okay. Her mom would be home in the morning. Then they could talk about boys together and plan their next beach trip while eating waffles.

And when her mom wasn’t home the next morning, she admitted defeat. Her mom had been crushed to death by a car and now she was dead. What was she supposed to do now? Her best friend was gone and she was on her own now.

Debra sat on her bed and stared at the wall in front of her. Her dad had left hours ago and she had no idea when he was going to return home. She was alone with her thoughts. She was angry at the world. But mostly herself. She should have made her mom stay home and help her with her homework or suggested they watch a movie together. But instead she let her mom enter the cruel outside world without an ‘I love you’ as a goodbye. She deserved to die. Not her selfless mother who did so much for her daughter.

Before she knew it, two hours had passed of her sitting on her bed and staring at the wall. She hadn’t been crying. Not a single tear had made its way down her cheek since her mom had died. She felt numb to the bone. Like her body wasn’t hers anymore. She wanted to destroy everything in sight. But even if she did that, her mother wouldn’t rise from the dead. She was alone now and she needed to accept that.

But she had to do something. She couldn’t sit on her bed anymore and waste away. So she got up and went to her mom’s closet and stuffed all of her clothes and belongings into a few big bags before dragging them out to the trash cans where they would wait to be taken away forever. There was no need for them anymore. The final touch was Debra taking down the paintings her mom had painted and throwing those in the trash too. 

But the one thing that she did keep was her mom’s hidden stash of money that was in the closet. Her parents’ marriage was far over and her mother had been saving up so they could get a place of their own. They didn’t need Rob and he didn't need them.

Debra walked across town to an art store and went to the aisle that held paintings by other artists who were unheard of. She chose a couple of generic paintings for the house that would replace her mom’s. She didn’t check the price as she hauled them to the checkout counter.

“That’s four hundred dollars for these,” The employee told her and she sighed.

“I only have three hundred and eighty five,” She said. “I’ll just buy this one.” She pointed at her favorite.

“That’s okay, honey. I’ll pay the difference,” The cashier said and Debra instantly nodded before handing over the wad of cash and grabbing her new household items.

She enjoyed that they were expensive. She liked the thought of having expensive things in the house. She also enjoyed carrying a lot of money. It made her feel rich and being rich meant power to her. It was something that she envied.

When she got home, she hung the paintings up on the bare walls. Even just the new decorations had made the house look different. It was perfect. It was like her mother never even lived there with them and maybe that was the mindset she needed at the moment.

* * *

“We are gathered here today to celebrate the life of Eleanor Hammer…” The priest had announced, reading from a book.

The words were distant to Debra and they almost felt like a foreign language as she stood by her mom’s casket that was getting ready to be placed in the ground. She had helped her dad pick out a tombstone for her mom and it was engraved with her name, her birthday and her death date. Now she stood in a black dress with her hair tied up, saying goodbye to her mom one last time.

People always told her how sorry they were for her loss. But she knew they weren't sorry. Saying sorry was the right thing to say but it didn't mean that they actually meant it. Besides, sorry wouldn't bring her mother back.

It wasn’t until after the funeral that Debra began to cry. She had held it together for a week but seeing her mom one last time before being dropped into the ground had set her off. She ran to the church bathroom and didn’t even bother going into a stall before she choked on her tears. She grasped the sink to keep her from falling. It felt like the world had been swept beneath her feet and she had to try to hold on.

Her sobs were loud and messy and she knew that people had to have heard her. But no one came in to comfort her. She had to do this alone. Just like everything else. She allowed herself five more minutes of crying before she forced herself to get it together and clean her face before leaving the bathroom. No more crying was allowed.

* * *

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Olivia asked her. Olivia was another queer girl in one of Debra’s classes. She had invited Olivia to hang out at her house but they both knew they were more than friends.

“Yeah, I'm okay. Just kiss me,” Debra demanded and Olivia kissed her before speaking again.

“Is your dad going to be home soon?” She worried.

Debra shook her head. “He’s out for the night, like always. You worry too much.”

Olivia decided that Debra’s answer was true and so she began to kiss her again. Their hands traveled to each other’s hair and waist as their lips connected. Debra loved every minute of it as Olivia felt her body. Olivia was hot and Debra wanted to feel every inch of hers as well. Their breathing was getting heavier as they continued.

The door was thrown open and Rob stood at the door, shocked about what he had seen. He looked angry and both girls jumped apart, adjusting their clothes that had been messed with.

“Olivia, go home,” He demanded and Olivia nodded, scared. Debra watched as she disappeared out the door.

“I thought we had discussed this. I will not have this behavior in my house. Boys only,” Rob said. He sounded disappointed as he left her room.

Debra fell back against her pillows, frustrated. Her mother would allow her to have girls over. In fact, she pushed for them to come over because she loved that Debra was finally at an age where she could have girlfriends and be mature. But her dad had been a different story. He was unaccepting and anything but supportive to his daughter. Debra had a theory that the only reason why she still lived there was because she was a minor. If Debra had been an adult, she would have been kicked to the curb the first time it happened.

* * *

That night, Debra walked outside in the backyard to her father who was hammering down stakes to keep a tent up. It was cold outside, only a few degrees above freezing. Her dad had a coat on but she didn’t.

“What are you doing?” She asked.

“This is your new home,” He said.

Debra looked confused as he finished hammering and stood up. The tent was complete. It was old and it looked like the wind would carry it away if it had gotten too bad.

“What?”

“No daughter of mine will be a lesbian,” He clarified, like it was obvious. The word lesbian came out of his mouth like it was a dangerous word. Like he was in danger of his own life based on who his daughter kissed. Not the other way around. People who were gay weren’t accepted easily by everyone and some people chose to act violent. He threw her a blanket that had been laying on the grass. The thin fabric was already stained with dirt.

Rob disappeared inside and Debra threw the blanket down before running to catch up with her dad. The door was thrown closed in her face and she tried to open it but it was locked. She ran around the house to the front door which was already locked as well. Even the windows were sealed shut. She was outside at night in weather that would only get colder.

Debra sighed in defeat and climbed in the tent with the blanket before zipping it up and laying down on the rough grass. She watched a beetle scurry along the side of the tent as she tried to warm herself up. How was her life almost perfect a week ago? She couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that she was sleeping in a tent just a week later. She was angry and sad. And the only thing she could think about was revenge. She would rise above her father in more ways than one. It was the only thing that kept her going as she slept outside for the next two weeks.


	6. Party All The Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bailey is home alone for the night.

Avery flopped into bed. She was exhausted. She had a full day in the studio, made dinner for her family and even gave Bailey’s dog, Tofu, a bath for her. He was a little terrier that Bailey had named herself. Debra didn’t like the idea of having another dog after Snowflake passed away, but Avery convinced her wife that Bailey needed to learn responsibility. Needless to say, she was ready for a long amount of time in bed.

Debra came into the room, holding her phone and looking anxious, “What are you doing laying in bed? We have an emergency!” 

“Can it wait until the morning? It’s late and I’m dying,” Avery groaned.

Debra looked at her like she was crazy, “It most certainly cannot.”

Avery sighed and looked at her wife, “What is it?”

Debra looked at her phone and showed it to her, “You have a concert you need to attend at a festival tomorrow.”

“What?” Avery sat up in bed. This was very unexpected and very last minute.

“Apparently someone who was going to do it got into an accident and is too injured to perform. They’re willing to pay us. It’s for two days,” Debra explained and it now made sense why Debra wanted to do it so bad now. Money would never not be her obsession.

“Then tell them we’ll come,” Avery said, dangerously close to sleeping.

“Do you not understand the problem?” Debra asked, almost getting worked up. 

“No,” Avery said. 

Debra threw her hands in the air, dramatically sighing, “Bailey. We have a kid.”

Avery closed her eyes, done with the conversation, “Dude, she’s sixteen. She’ll be fine if we leave her alone for the night.”

“Avery, I don’t know. I don’t like that she’ll be home alone,” Debra said. 

“We need her to know that we trust her. She’s a good kid, Debra. It’s only one night,” Avery reasoned. 

“Where is she anyways?” Debra asked. 

“She’s at a party,” Avery told her. “I can’t believe you don’t know where she is but you’re worried about her staying home alone for a night.”

Debra sighed and went to respond but Avery was already asleep. Debra rolled her eyes and got ready for bed herself. 

* * *

The next morning, Debra woke Avery up early so they could pack and eat before getting their driver to hit the road. Avery made herself and Debra some toast while Debra finished up some emails before they left. Bailey trudged into the kitchen. Her blonde hair was tied up in a messy bun and she was still in pajamas, looking exhausted. 

“Hey, Sunshine. I didn’t think you’d be up this early,” Avery commented as Bailey sat next to Debra, putting her head on the table. 

“You guys are loud,” she explained. 

Debra stared at the tired girl for a minute before going back to her emails. “What time did you get in last night?”

“I don’t know,” Bailey said. “Late.”

“You don’t know?” Debra asked, sternly. 

“Fine. It was four in the morning,” Bailey admitted. 

It was only seven in the morning then. Bailey must have been exhausted. Avery and Debra shared a look.

“Please tell me you weren’t driving under the influence,” Avery pleaded and put more toast in the toaster oven for Bailey. 

“I wasn’t! I walked there!” Bailey said. 

“So not only were you past curfew, but you were walking the streets of LA at four in the morning while drunk?” Debra asked to clarify. She was unamused. 

“Okay,” Avery intervened, “We don’t have time for this right now. We have to go soon. But kiddo, next time this happens there will be a serious conversation about what your privileges are.”

Bailey looked up, “Where are you going?”

“I have to go to a festival for a couple days,” Avery explained.

“So I’ll be home alone?” Bailey asked.

“Well after last night, I think we should invite Lily or Amanda to come watch you,” Debra said while typing.

“Yes, you’ll be home alone,” Avery confirmed and the toast in front of her.

Bailey nodded and began to eat her toast while Debra glared at Avery.

* * *

“How can you allow her to stay home alone when you know damn well what happened last night? How can you trust her?” Debra shouted as they were packing the rest of their stuff.

“Keep your voice down please,” Avery said, putting things into her bag, “Of course I don’t trust her.”

Debra scoffed, “Then why are you letting her stay home alone?”

Avery put her hands on her hips. “It’s a test, Debra. Let’s see how well she behaves when we’re gone. If everything is okay when we get home, then she’s passed. But if the house is trashed and she’s hungover, then she’ll lose the right to hang out with her friends until she gets her act together. I’m not stupid, Debra. I think you and I both know what’s going to happen tonight.”

Debra crossed her arms, “Fine.”

* * *

“Okay, kid, we’ll see you tomorrow afternoon,” Avery said and kissed the top of Bailey’s head.

“See you tomorrow,” Bailey said back.

“Behave. Call if you need anything,” Debra reminded her.

“I will, don’t worry about me,” Bailey insisted.

Debra gave her a look. She loved Bailey with all of her heart. She was her pride and joy, even if she didn’t tell Bailey often at all. Avery always made it known about how much she loved her and Debra thought Avery told Bailey about how much Debra loved her as well. She would do anything for Bailey, even when Bailey acted out. Sometimes Bailey just needed the extra step of saying that she was loved.

“Okay, we’re going,” Debra announced and the couple walked out the door, leaving their daughter with the house to herself.

They climbed into the car and their driver sped off in the direction of their destination.

Avery looked at Debra, “Fifty bucks she’s texting her friends about a party at our house.”

Debra looked back. “Deal.”

* * *

“Sadie!” Bailey snapped, “You said that three friends were coming over. Not the whole fucking school.”

Sadie looked at her friend, “Oops.”

“Fuck you,” Bailey said but made no moves to stop the party. “What are you drinking?”

“Go see for yourself, there’s a keg in the backyard,” Sadie said.

Bailey’s eyes widened. “You brought that? Are you trying to get us arrested?”

“I didn’t bring it. Some guys across town did,” Sadie told her.

So not only was the whole school there, but other random people from the city were too. Bailey knew this could end very badly. They lived on private property that was far away from other houses in the city, but there was still a chance that the police could show up. The last thing that needed to happen was the police showing up at her house. Her moms would have her head and she would never see the daylight again.

But there was free alcohol. She wasn’t going to pass that up. Avery and Debra allowed her to drink occasionally under their supervision and she wasn’t allowed to share the alcohol with her friends unless their own parents gave permission for them to drink. But now she wasn’t with her parents and she could drink as much as she wanted with her friends. It was a deal she couldn’t pass up.

Bailey and Sadie walked to the backyard where Bailey filled her cup up and gulped it down. Then she did it again until her vision was blurry and she was slurring her words. Sadie was no better. They danced to the loud music in the backyard with other people who were just as drunk as they were.

“Hey, do you wanna go inside?” Sadie asked and Bailey nodded. They walked inside and sat on the couch. Sadie immediately scooted closer to Bailey before wrapping her arms around her and kissing her deeply. Bailey kissed back just as deeply, getting lost in the world of Sadie.

Bailey wasn’t out to Debra and Avery and she didn’t know when she would be, if she was being honest. She wasn’t afraid of Avery’s reaction but she didn’t know how Debra would react and that spooked her a little. She liked every gender the world had to offer and she thought love was love. Why did it matter who she made out with or even had sex with?

“Oh shit,” A guy said and the two girls jumped apart, looking at him. They had never seen him before. Bailey looked at the situation before gasping.

Alcohol was somehow thrown over Eleanor’s painting that Debra had hung up on the wall. The painting was on a canvas and wasn’t framed. Bailey had overheard Debra once say that she didn’t even know the picture existed until she found a key to a storage unit that Eleanor had rented. Debra would be devastated and Bailey had no idea how to make it right.

“Who are you?” She screamed, demanding to know.

“Tom,” The guy responded.

“Get the fuck out of my house,” She yelled. 

The guy looked a little scared and sprinted out of the house.

“I’m going to be grounded forever,” Bailey mumbled. “Might as well drink since this is going to be my last time doing anything close to this.”

Sadie looked at her sympathetically before offering some of her beer. Bailey drank until she passed out on the couch, too drunk to function.

* * *

“Holy fuck,” Avery said, walking in the house.

The house was destroyed. Way more than they expected. Cups and cans were everywhere, alcohol had been spilled on the floor, food was left out in random places, and the music was still loudly playing. Debra marched over to Bailey, who was still passed out on the couch. She was the only person there. Everyone else, including Sadie, had left.

“Wake up,” Debra snapped and Bailey jumped awake.

“What happened, Bailey?” Avery asked.

“A party,” Bailey said. Her head was pounding and she was tired.

“Go turn off the music,” Debra demanded and slightly nudged her so she’d wake up more. Tofu was licking beer off the carpet.

Bailey walked outside and turned the speaker off, ending the music before coming back inside. It was then that Debra had noticed the ruined painting. The dark spot wasn’t hard to miss. She grabbed it off the wall. Her face was hard to read and both Avery and Bailey were afraid to see her reaction.

Debra walked over to the trash can and threw the painting in. 

“Don’t talk to me until this place is spotless,” Debra demanded before leaving to go to her bedroom. She quickly came back out. “Start with my room.”

Avery was confused. Her daughter hadn’t been much of a partier before Sadie came into her life. She wondered if this was her own thing or if Sadie was influencing her to do things she didn’t normally do. This wasn’t the daughter she knew.

“Go,” Debra pointed at their bedroom.

Bailey grabbed a trash bag from the kitchen and walked into her parents’ bedroom with a guilty look on her face.

Avery went into the kitchen as well and took the painting out of the trash can.

* * *

Bailey spent the afternoon cleaning the house up until both Avery and Debra agreed that it was clean. Bailey spent the rest of the day in her room, trying to sleep off her hangover. Debra was absolutely furious and barely spoke to either Avery or Bailey.

Avery sighed and made a sandwich for Bailey and grabbed some water before taking it to Bailey’s room. She grimaced at the sight of Bailey’s room. Clothes were all over the floor along with homework and school supplies. A classic teenager’s room.

Avery stepped over the messy piles and sat on her bed where Bailey was laying. “This will help your headache.”

Bailey sat up and picked the crust of the sandwich off, “Thanks.”

“Why did you throw a party?” Avery sighed.

“I didn’t,” Bailey mumbled.

“I don’t believe you,” Avery admitted.

“Sadie invited them,” Bailey said and Avery believed that.

“How would you handle this situation if you were in my position?” Asked Avery. She was curious about her daughter’s response.

“Ummm, I would tell them to carefully decide if they truly want to be this person’s friend,” Bailey decided.

Avery nodded in approval. Her daughter was mature. She just misbehaved sometimes. Which was what every kid did. She could deal with that but she didn’t know if she could deal with the partying every night that Bailey did.

“So I advise you to do the same thing,” Avery said and kissed her daughter on the head before leaving.

  
  


* * *

“You need to talk to her,” Avery told Debra. “She’s scared.”

Debra had been quiet ever since Bailey had cleaned up the house. She was experiencing so much anger that she was shutting down. A typical move for Debra. But Avery needed Debra to understand that their daughter was human and would make mistakes. This certainly wouldn’t be the last time that something like this would happen.

“I’m busy,” Debra said, looking up from her planner.

“Yeah, busy ignoring her,” Avery said.

“Avery, she destroyed the last thing I have of my mom’s. I am not in the mood to talk to someone who did that.” Debra looked back down at her work.

“Who do you expect her to be?” Avery wondered. “She cannot be you.”

“I don’t expect her to be me,” Debra said.

“Yes, you do,” Avery argued, “You expect her to be you. I see it in the way you get disappointed in her when she doesn't meet your expectations. It’s time you start seeing her as an individual. Not you.”

Debra’s head jerked up, “How dare you say that. I love her.”

“I’m not saying that you don’t love her. I know that. But you cannot discipline her the way that your dad did. Bailey needs love and care. She needs to know that you support her no matter what happens. And right now, I don’t think she believes that,” Avery said.

Debra put her planner aside, “Fine.”

Avery nodded and Debra got up, going to Bailey’s room.

“Hey? Can I have that fifty bucks?” Avery called out. Debra ignored her which made Avery laugh.

  
  


* * *

Bailey was sitting on her bed with a textbook in her lap along with a highlighter. She looked up as Debra knocked on her wall and entered the room. She sat down on the bed like Avery did and gently took Bailey’s homework out of her hands. Tofu, who was sleeping on her bed, woke up at the sound of Debra’s voice.

“We need to talk,” Debra told her.

“Kay,” Bailey agreed. She looked a little scared.

“Tell me why there was a party at my house without my permission,” Debra asked. Her voice was stern but she made sure to keep her voice level and not to raise it.

“I didn’t realize that many people were coming until they showed up,” Bailey explained.

“And why didn’t you tell them to leave?” Debra asked.

“I don’t know. I feel this constant pressure to be the best. I mean we have a lot of money and my mom is a celebrity,” Bailey said. “I feel like I need to be perfect like you guys.”

Debra sighed and brought Bailey into her chest, resting her chin on top of Bailey’s head. “Oh my love, you have so much you have to be proud of.”

It was rare for Debra to give Bailey a hug and it was even more rare for Debra to say how proud she was of Bailey. But with the help of Avery, Bailey knew how much Debra loved her.

“I do?” Bailey asked.

“You’re a Hammer, that automatically makes you a legend,” Debra said.

“I’m sorry about the painting,” Bailey said, sighing. She looked guilty.

Debra let go of Bailey. “It wasn’t her best.”

Bailey’s guilty face didn’t change.

“Maybe you can paint me a picture to make up for it.”

Bailey grinned, deciding that was a great idea. Bailey was the best painter that both Debra and Avery had ever seen and even Amanda and Lily had agreed that she held a gift that not everyone was able to have.

“Yeah, I’ll do that,” Bailey said.

Debra nodded her approval and stood up.

“Am I ever going to see the outside of this room again?” Bailey asked.

“Absolutely not,” Debra answered and walked out, making Bailey giggle.


	7. Coming Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bailey comes out.

Bailey sat in her Mercedes-Benz with Sadie in the passenger seat. She had been spending a lot of time with her lately, even more often than not. She was attracted to her and she knew Sadie was attracted to her too. 

Their hands roamed through each other’s hair as they made out. It was a little difficult since they had to lean over the center of the car to kiss, but they made it work. They couldn’t keep their hands off each other. 

“I have to take you home,” Bailey said in between kisses. They were in a random parking lot. 

“Mood killer,” Sadie groaned. 

“Dinner soon and my mom will have my head if I’m not eating. Besides, I told them I’d be home in a few minutes,” Bailey explained. 

“Fine, I have homework to do anyways,” Sadie said. “But next time we’re together, you’re gonna regret we didn’t go further.”

Sadie ran her fingers on the inside of Bailey’s thigh, making Bailey moan a little and grip the steering wheel. She had only had sex once with someone else before but she knew Sadie was going to be much better at it. 

“Come over tomorrow,” Bailey offered and Sadie instantly nodded. 

“Can’t wait,” Bailey grinned and Sadie smiled back. Bailey drove Sadie home quickly before sending Debra a text that she was on her way home. Although she was seventeen, Debra liked to keep tabs on her to make sure she was safe and staying out of trouble. 

Bailey rolled the windows down and blasted her music to listen to on the way home. She liked Sadie, she really did. The only concern was that Sadie was an out and proud lesbian. Bailey didn’t want to stereotype but she thought it was kind of obvious that Sadie was gay. Sadie understood her though and didn’t force her to come out. But they liked each other a lot. And Bailey didn’t want Sadie to have to wait for her to come out. 

Bailey pulled into the driveway, noticing that only Avery’s car was home. Where was Debra? She expected them both to be home.

She walked into the kitchen where Avery was on the phone. 

“Hey, kiddo, what do you want on your pizza?” Avery asked, covering her phone a little so the person on the other end couldn’t hear. 

“Green peppers,” Bailey answered and waited for Avery to finish placing their pizza order. 

“You look happier than usual,” Avery commented. 

“I guess I’ve just been in a good mood,” Bailey shrugged. “Where’s Mama? I texted her to say I was coming home.”

Avery waved a hand, “Oh, she’s at the studio with a client until late tonight. That’s why I ordered pizza.”

Bailey smiled a little. She loved spending time with each of her parents alone. Last weekend, Debra had taken Bailey to an album launch party for one of her other clients. Avery wouldn't let Bailey mention it much, but the world did know who Bailey was, thanks to her.

“Should we put on a movie then?” Bailey asked and Avery nodded.

“Let’s go pick one.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


The night was filled with the girls watching a bunch of Disney movies and eating too much pizza for them to handle. They were both glad they could have such a cool relationship with each other as most teenagers wanted nothing to do with their parents. The seventeen year old was truly one of a kind.

The last movie they chose, _Dumbo_ , ended and Avery yawned, “Okay, kiddo, I think it’s time for bed. It’s almost midnight.”

Bailey nodded and reached for the remote to turn the TV and Avery went to stand up to go to bed but Bailey grabbed her by her arm, “Can I tell you something?”

Avery sat on the couch again to give Bailey her full attention, “Yeah?”

Bailey took a deep breath. She just had to say two words. Two very scary words that could make this night go very badly. Or very good. Bailey didn't know which one would happen but she could only hope for the best.

“I’m pansexual,” Bailey breathed out.

Avery’s eyebrows shot up, “You are?”

Bailey nodded her answer.

“Am I the only one that knows?” Avery asked and Bailey nodded again.

“I don’t want you to tell anyone,” She said, “I’m scared of Mama’s reaction.”

Avery looked confused, “Why?”

“Because I don’t want to be the daughter she doesn’t want me to be,” Bailey said nervously. 

“You’re exactly who she wants you to be,” Avery said. “A healthy and happy daughter.”

Bailey sighed, unsure. 

“I won’t tell her if you don’t want me to,” Avery continued, “But I think you should. She won’t care.”

Bailey looked troubled and she looked down before replying, “Maybe.”

“I love you,” Avery said. “No matter what.”

“Love you too,” Bailey said softly. 

“So is there anyone who you’re seeing?” Avery asked. She was curious and thought maybe it was Sadie. She hoped her daughter would tell her. 

“Um, yeah.” Bailey was hesitant to admit it.

“Who?”

“Ummm…”

“Sadie?”

“Yeah.”

“You guys have been together a lot lately,” Avery commented.

Bailey shrugged, “I guess we have.”

Just then the door opened and an exhausted looking Debra walked through the door. Avery got up to greet her wife and kissed her on the cheek.

“Hey, baby. How was your day?” Avery asked and Debra turned her head so they could properly kiss each other.

“Exhausting. People are stupid,” She mutters and walks over to the couch where there was still pizza. She picked up a slice and began to eat it before turning to Bailey, who was still sitting on the couch.

“Got any plans for tomorrow?” Debra asked.

“I was just going to invite Sadie over,” Bailey responded.

Avery, who was behind Debra, gave her a look.  _ Tell her,  _ she mouthed to Bailey. Luckily for Bailey, Debra wasn’t really paying attention anymore and got up to head to bed.

“We were just going to work on homework,” Bailey continued.

Avery facepalmed.

Debra looked back at her, “I don’t care what you guys do. I’m not even going to be home anyways.” She left the room and Avery groaned.

Avery threw her hands up, “Dude, she won’t care.”

“I panicked,” Bailey defended herself.

“Clearly. Now go to bed. It’s late,” Avery said and they both walked to their own rooms for the night.

* * *

“Hey,” Sadie grinned at the doorway of Bailey’s house. Bailey brought her in for a quick kiss before stepping a little further away.

“Let’s go to my room,” Bailey said and she grabbed Sadie’s hand before leading her across the house to her own room. They sat on her bed where they instantly began to make out. Sadie wrapped her arms around Bailey’s neck and Bailey’s arms snaked around Sadie’s waist. 

Debra had already left for work for the day and she had no idea where Avery was. But she didn’t care. She had a hot girl in front of her and she wanted to focus on that.

The kiss got deeper and Sadie let her hands roam to Bailey’s boobs. Bailey moaned and pulled Sadie closer. The touch was exciting and she craved more. Their breathing picked up and Bailey knew it was only a matter of time before their clothes were thrown on the floor and their hands were exploring things further down.

But then the door was thrown open by Debra, who wasted no time in saying what she needed.

“Bailey, I need you to-” She paused to take in the situation before giving Bailey a weird look and closing the door to give them privacy.

Even though the girls jumped away, Debra still clearly saw what was happening and it was unsettling for Bailey, who tried to fix her crumpled up clothes.

“I think you should go,” Bailey said. “I’m sorry.”

Sadie nodded. She was clearly upset too. She was barely over for an hour and there was already conflict. She grabbed her bag and let herself out of the house.

Bailey panicked and ran to every room in the house, trying to find Debra. But Debra was nowhere to be seen. Had she been so angry that she left? Or was Bailey simply overreacting? Debra was supposed to go to work, but what if she never came back after? Bailey found Avery in the living room, tuning one of her guitars.

“Where’s Mama?” She almost yelled. She was nearly out of breath from running all over the house.

“She left a few minutes ago. Do you need her?” Avery asked and Bailey broke down into tears.

“She wasn’t supposed to find out this way,” Bailey sobbed and covered her face with her hands. “I was going to tell her later tonight.”

Even though Bailey didn’t clarify on what she meant, Avery could piece together what Bailey was talking about. She set her guitar down and walked over to her daughter, pulling her into a big hug.

“Sweetie, it's okay. She probably forgot about it by now. She gets distracted very easily when it comes to work.” Avery ran her hands through Bailey’s hair. It was something that always seemed to soothe her.

“You wanna hear something funny?” Avery asked.

“What?” Bailey mumbled.

“One time when I was on tour, she walked in on Lily and Amanda making out. And they weren’t even together,” Avery told the story.

“I didn’t need to know that about my aunt, but that’s embarrassing,” Bailey giggled.

“It was,” Avery giggled as well. They were still hugging. “But she didn’t care then and she won’t care now.”

* * *

Avery eventually calmed Bailey down and Bailey decided to take a nap to get rid of the headache that came with crying. Avery went back to her guitar and strummed it quietly. Her phone began to ring and Debra’s caller ID came up on her phone.

“Hello?” Avery asked, setting her guitar down again.

Debra never greeted the person she was calling, “Did you know our daughter is into girls?”

“No,” Avery lied. She didn't want Debra to feel like she was being left out.

“You’re lying,” Debra accused.

“Okay, so I did lie. But I didn’t want you to feel left out. Besides, it’s not my business to tell,” Avery said.

“Well I’d like to know if my daughter is gay,” Debra scoffed into the phone.

“She’s not gay. She’s pan,” Avery told Debra.

The phone buzzed on the other end, telling Avery that Debra hung up on her.

* * *

“Mama?” Bailey peeked into their home office where Debra was working that night.

Debra looked at her, “Yes?”

“Are you disappointed in me?” Bailey asked, scared of the answer.

“No.”

“I mean, are you disappointed that I’m not straight?” Bailey tried to clarify.

Debra looked back at her work, “No.”

“Are you sure? Cuz-”

“Think about what you’re asking me, Bailey,” Debra warned. She was still focused on her work. This was no time to stop.

Bailey stopped and thought for a minute. Debra was gay herself. She had known that since forever. The problem wasn’t wondering if Debra would be upset that she was pansexual. The problem was whether or not Debra would be disappointed in her daughter. No parent planned for their kid to come out of the womb waving a pride flag.

“Are you disappointed in me because I’m not who you want me to be and I’m failing you?” Bailey asked quickly.

“Don’t be dramatic, Bailey. I’ll love you no matter who you like,” Debra said. “I wasn’t going to make a big deal out of it at all.”

“You weren’t?” Bailey asked, surprised.

“Yes, you were. You hung up on me,” Avery accused, walking past Bailey and into the room, sitting on the couch in the office.

Debra glared at her.

“It was rude, but I’ll forgive you,” Avery continued, “Put your work down.”

Debra stayed silent but closed her laptop. Bailey stood awkwardly at the door still.

“Your mom cares for you just as much as I do and she always will,” Avery said. She knew Debra had a hard time expressing herself sometimes. “Who you love won’t change that. Nothing will.”

Debra nodded her agreement, “That is correct.”

Bailey let out a sigh of relief and let herself enter the room, shyly. Avery patted the spot on the couch next to her and Bailey sat down. Avery pulled her into her chest and rubbed her back a little.

Avery looked at Debra, “Join the hug.”

Bailey heard Debra jokingly sigh loudly but she smiled when she felt another pair of arms join the hug.

“This is stupid,” Debra said.

And normally that could be offensive, but Avery and Bailey knew better and just laughed at the third member of their family. It was perfect and she wouldn't have it any other way.


	8. You Know I'm No Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A continuation from the chapter September in And I Love Her.

Avery shoved her phone in her pocket and ignored the message. She had more things to worry about. She really couldn’t believe that Debra cheated on her. But even more so, she really couldn’t believe that she just accepted Debra’s answer. And of all people, it had to be Lily that she kissed. She didn't know what to think. Who could she trust?

Avery finished her burger in silence with the other two girls before throwing her trash away and waiting quietly for Debra since Debra was picking her up in the first place. She got the message that Avery wanted to leave and cleaned up her trash too. They all had to go in Lily’s car. 

The rain poured down on them as they hurried to the car. Avery remained silent for the ride home. She didn’t know what to say or how to bring up the conversation again. She felt like it needed to be talked about again, but she couldn’t form the words to actually do so. 

“You cheated on me,” Avery said. They were still in the car. Maybe now wasn’t the best time to bring the conversation up, but it almost felt as if she were word vomiting. 

Lily looked anxious as she kept her eyes on the road. 

“Avery, I don’t know what to say,” Debra sighed. “I’m really sorry. I don’t know what went over me. I wish it wouldn’t have happened but it did.”

“How did this happen?” Her voice broke. 

“I, uh, I mentioned that we had sex,” Lily admitted. 

“You what?” Avery asked to make sure she heard Lily right. “We swore never to talk about that.”

“I didn’t have a filter,” Lily said, but even she knew that was a bad excuse. 

“I don’t care!” Avery said, getting worked up. It almost felt like a panic attack. She couldn’t catch her breath, her heart was beating in her chest, and she was shaking. 

“Avery, calm down,” Lily said. “You’re heading towards a panic attack.”

“Telling her to calm down isn’t going to do anything,” Debra nearly snapped. 

“I’m driving so I can get home so you can get to your car,” Lily explained. She was on the edge of snapping too. 

“Let me out!” Avery panicked. “I don’t want to be with you guys!”

The words cut into Debra like a knife. She knew she made one of the worst mistakes possible when it came to relationships, but it still stung. She loved her wife so much and she needed to make it right. 

“Let me out!” She said again, yanking on the door handle. The car was locked. 

“Let her out, Lily.”

“It’s raining.”

“Let her out!”

Lily sighed and pulled over to the side of the road. She unlocked the car and Avery scrambled out of the car, nearly falling out in the process. She slammed the door and Lily took off. When Debra looked back at the empty seat, Avery’s wedding ring was sitting in her place. 

Avery was alone now in the freezing rain. She has nowhere to go. She couldn’t go home and she didn’t want to go to Lily’s. The studio was a good option. She had a key to the place and she could sleep in one of the chairs. She would be safe there. 

Mud splashed on her pants as she sloshed through the puddles on the street. She was freezing and she was now drenched. She could call Debra to make Lily come pick her back up but she refused to. Debra had cheated on her. That was one of the worst things that Debra could have done in Avery’s opinion. 

Avery made it to the studio and unlocked the building before slipping inside and locking the door behind her. Now what? She chose a comfy chair that Debra always used and curled up into a ball, trying to sleep. 

So many questions came to her head that she didn’t know the answers to. Did Debra still love her? Would they break up? If they broke up, would she be able to have a baby on her own? Would they ever get back together? Avery loved Debra and the thought of Debra not loving Avery anymore made Avery sob loudly into her hands. 

But as much as she turned and wiggled, she couldn’t sleep. Too much was on her mind and even the comfiest chair in the studio didn’t help her at all. She needed to go somewhere else. 

Avery gathered her belongings and left the studio as she made her way back into the freezing rain. She didn’t really know where she was going, so she walked and walked until she reached a house she knew. 

Avery knocked on the door and sighed in relief when Lily opened the door. 

“Is she here?” Avery asked. 

Lily thought Avery looked awful. She was wet from head to toe from the rain and her makeup was running down her cheeks. 

“No,” she said softly. 

“She kissed you,” Avery accused. 

“But I really did push her off me,” Lily told her. “Do you want to come in? Maybe shower?”

Avery walked in. She saw Amanda sitting on the couch, reading. She looked up and gave Avery a sympathetic smile. Lily must have told her. If Amanda was just okay with the fact that Lily was kissed by another person, then Avery envied their relationship. 

Amanda set her book down, “How about you shower and I’ll make you dinner?”

Avery nodded. That did sound like a good idea. She felt dirty from the rain and her stomach was telling her that it was hungry. She followed Lily, who gave her some clothes and she locked herself inside the bathroom. She found some makeup remover to get rid of the mess on her face before turning on steaming hot water from the shower and getting in.

She decided to sit in the shower and wash herself instead of standing up to do it. She was so exhausted and she didn't even know if her own feet could hold her up for much longer. She sadly washed the dirt from her body, her skin turning red from the scrubbing and the burning water. Eventually, she turned the water off and got out, shrugging into the clothes that Lily loaned her.

There was a knock at the door, “Avery, open up.”

It was Debra. The last person she wanted to see. Debra knew what she did wrong. She felt as if they didn't need to talk about it now. She wanted to be left alone and she didn't know for how long.

“Go away, Debra,” She said, annoyed. It was late. Past midnight. Too much had happened for her to care anymore.

“Please, Avery. We have to talk,” Debra begged.

Avery found herself going to the door and touching the door handle, but at the last second she stopped. Would it do any good to open the door? No, it would just cause more unnecessary stuff to happen.

“I’m not opening this door, Debra,” Avery said, yanking her hand away.

“Then just listen,” Debra offered.

Avery could make sure that Debra couldn’t enter the bathroom, but she couldn’t make her leave. And a small part of her did feel like she owed Debra at least an ear to listen.

“Okay,” She said, sliding down the door.

Debra did the same thing. The two were now back to back through the door.

“Our relationship isn’t perfect,” Debra sighed and Avery could tell she was just saying what came to her mind. This was no rehearsed speech. “And I don’t know if it ever will be. But that doesn't mean I don’t love you. You have the biggest place in my heart and there’s not a second in time when I think that I don’t want to be with you. I’m so sorry I kissed Lily and the fact that we were high is no excuse. But again, it doesn't mean that I don’t love you. No matter how long we’re together, I don’t think I’ll ever be as good as this as you are.”

“But why?” Avery wondered, crying silently.

“I was jealous that you and Lily had sex,” Debra admitted.

“Are you attracted to Lily?” Avery asked, fearing the answer.

“No,” Debra said quickly.

“It was just in high school,” Avery told the story. “We were more than friends but we weren’t dating.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Debra asked.

“Because it didn’t go anywhere other than that. We aren’t meant to be together. We’re meant to be best friends,” Avery told her.

“Well she was right about one thing,” Debra commented.

“What?”

“You are good at sex,” Debra told her. Avery snorted.

There was silence on both ends of the door. Avery didn’t know what to think. Should she open the door to forgive Debra? Or should she stay hidden in the bathroom, hiding away from her love? 

Avery’s wedding ring slipped under the door, giving her a reason to throw herself into Debra’s arms.

Debra wasn’t a cheater. Avery knew Debra wasn’t a cheater. Debra told her before that she didn’t date a lot at all. In fact, Avery was only the third person she dated and Debra broke it off with the others due to her own personal reasons. But why had Debra cheated? Was Avery not being a good enough wife for Debra? Did Debra not want a baby? She supposed she could live without a baby if she could still be with Debra.

Avery scooted around slowly and knelt on her knees to unlock the door and threw herself into Debra’s arms. Debra immediately hugged her back and they cried together. Maybe their relationship wasn’t perfect but they held a love towards each other that not everyone could have.


	9. I Just Wanna Feel Loved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bailey overhears her parents fighting.

Avery laid on her back, breathing heavily from the sex that Debra and her had just had. It was hot, sexy, and intimate and Avery wanted more. Debra was in no better condition than she was, trying to recover from her orgasm. With a teenager in the house, it was rare that they could do something like that. They didn't want Bailey to find out.

“Wanna go again?” Avery asked.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to recover from this one,” Debra panted.

Avery grinned and kissed her wife’s cheek before wrapping the sheets around her. Debra finally got control of her breathing and got out of bed to get dressed.

“I gotta go,” Debra explained. “I need to get to work.”

“Already?” Avery asked. “I thought you weren’t going until later.”

“The schedule changed,” Debra told her and came over to kiss Avery. Avery kissed her back. “I’ll be back tonight.”

Debra went out into the living room where Bailey was watching TV and eating lunch, “Where are you going?”

“Work,” Debra replied. 

“Again?” The fifteen year old asked.

“Well, yeah. We don’t live here for free,” Debra told her, putting her cheetah print jacket on.

“I mean, you were there all day yesterday and now you’re leaving again?” Bailey seemed confused.

“It’s part of the job, sunshine,” Debra told her. “I gotta go, but I’ll be back tonight. Be good for your mom.”

Bailey watched sadly as her mom left, trying to forget about the plans they had made together for that day.

Avery came into the living room as well, noticing Bailey’s depressed look, “What’s wrong?”

“We were supposed to go to the movies today,” Bailey said sadly.

“I’m sorry,” Avery sighed. She knew Bailey’s pain. “I know it’s not the same, but we can go if you want,” she offered.

Bailey smiled and nodded.

“Okay, I’ll go look up the movies that are playing and you go get ready,” Avery instructed and Bailey dashed off to her room.

Avery went into their home office to get on their computer. They had a big MacBook that they all shared. They each had their own profiles on the computer. As Avery sat down, she realized that Debra had forgotten to log out of her profile. Since Avery was just googling something, she figured it was okay if she just used Debra’s quickly.

She clicked on safari and searched for the movies that were playing in Los Angeles. A few sounded good so she waited for Bailey to get ready so she could get her opinion.

But then something strange happened. The computer chimed and a message popped up from a client of hers. Normally, Avery would ignore it, but this message instantly made her curious.

_ See you soon. _

The message seemed innocent enough but at the end of the text there was a kissing face emoji. It seemed too flirty to just be a normal text message. Avery clicked on the message and the screen popped up with Debra’s chat with her client. The texts from the client seemed flirty. While Debra’s weren’t the same, it was clear that she was doing nothing to stop the issue.

Avery was mad. While Debra hadn’t done anything wrong, she wasn’t helping the situation either. Had Debra liked this person back or was it simply one sided? Was she overreacting?

“Mom?” Bailey got Avery’s attention, coming into the room, ready to go.

Avery quickly closed the messages and stood up, telling the movie choices to Bailey. They quickly decided on one and left so they could catch the movie in time. But it was hard for Avery to concentrate. She wanted to because the movie seemed interesting and she wanted to be there for Bailey, but her mind was flooded with the fact that someone was flirting with her wife. The movie came to an end and Avery and Bailey walked out of the theater. 

“Hey, why don’t we go get dinner?” Avery offered and Bailey grinned. 

Avery felt awful that Debra had forgotten about the plans she made with Bailey. She knew it wasn’t the first time and she knew it wouldn’t be the last. She also knew that’s why Bailey valued the time with Debra that she did get. 

They ended up going to an Italian place where Avery got a fettuccine alfredo dish and Bailey got lasagna. They talked about how Bailey was doing in school and how her classes were. 

Avery spoke up, “Hey, I’m sorry that Mom ditched today. It wasn’t cool at all and I’ll talk to her about it.”

Bailey sighed, grumbling, “It just seems like she’s always working now. I’ve gotten used to the fact that work will always be her number one.”

Avery tried to think of what to say. She didn’t want to outright lie to Bailey because Bailey had a point but Avery also knew that Debra loved Bailey. Bailey was also unknown to the fact that Debra had a manipulative side to her and she wanted to keep it that way. 

“Not true,” Avery disagreed. “She loves you so much. She just...doesn’t always know how to love in the best way possible and I don’t know if she ever will.”

“I just wanna feel loved.”

“She does, kiddo,” Avery promised. “Love is shown in many ways.”

Bailey smiled softly but she wasn’t fully convinced. 

* * *

Debra had gotten home late that night. Avery had almost fallen asleep and Bailey was passed out in her own bedroom. Debra quietly snuck into the bedroom but she wasn’t quiet enough. Avery woke up, aware that her wife was home now. 

“Where were you?” She sighed. She wasn’t in the mood for a fight, but she was sure that it would end up with one. 

“At the studio. I told you.”

“Did you forget that you and Bailey made plans?” 

“Shit.”

“Yeah, shit,” Avery snorted, getting out of bed. “You upset her.”

“I had to be at the studio, Avery. You know just how long the hours are,” Debra said, her voice going hard. 

“You don’t need to be at the studio all the time, Debra.” Avery pointed out.

“Don’t tell me how to do my job.” Debra crossed her arms. 

“Are you cheating on me?” Avery blurted out. 

Now Debra looked confused, “What?”

“Your clients love flirting with you when you text them,” Avery said. Her arms were crossed too now. 

“Don’t read my texts, Avery,” Debra scolded. “That is none of your business.”

Avery was yelling now, “Then maybe log out of your profile on the Mac!”

“I shouldn’t have to log out of my profile to make sure you won’t look at my stuff! And besides, if I was cheating, I’d make sure to log out!” Debra yelled back. 

“Well you’ve done it before!” Avery reminded her. 

“How dare you say that! It’s been fifteen years!” Debra shouted. “Besides, I had a baby that  _ you _ wanted after that!”

Bailey sat on her bed, trying not to cry. 

* * *

“Bailey! You have school today! We need to be out this door in ten seconds! Do  _ not  _ make me late!” Debra yelled. 

Bailey ignored her mom as she continued shoving clothes into a bag. If her mom didn’t want her, then she didn’t need her to survive. She knew Debra would be mad if she made her late for work, but she didn’t care. 

Debra came into her room without knocking, “Bailey, I’ve had it up to here. You know I can’t…” she paused, taking in the situation of Bailey’s suitcase laying on her bed with clothes in it. “What the hell are you doing?”

“I’m leaving. You don’t want me here.”

Debra made a face, “What the hell are you talking about? Forget it, I don’t have time for this nonsense. Get in the car.”

Bailey sighed and left her suitcase on the bed, going to get in the car. She was devastated. Her own mom didn’t want her and when she told her that she was leaving, she was more worried about her job. 

Bailey rushed outside and climbed in the passenger seat where Debra threw the car in reverse before backing out of the driveway. She looked at her mom. She seemed tense and stressed and she was gripping the steering wheel tightly. She wondered if her parents were still fighting. 

Debra pulled up to the school and Bailey hopped out, waiting for her mom to leave before walking in the opposite direction of school. 

* * *

Debra thought she was surrounded by idiots. No one seemed to be doing what she wanted them to do. Avery and her were still fighting and it was the only thing that was on her mind. The couch was her bed and it was hurting her back. 

A song ended from the new client’s album and she sighed, putting her head in her hand.

“Yeah, that was not good,” She said. “That was a waste of my time. If you cannot write a good song, then what good are you?”

The client looked nervous. 

“Here, I’ll do you a favor,” Debra said and got up, going over to the computer and deleting the song she had heard, “Start again.”

Just then, Debra’s phone began to buzz, telling her someone was calling her. She pulled her phone out of her pocket.  _ Lily _ was displayed on the screen. 

“What?” She answered the phone. 

“Debra, how are you?” Lily’s voice came through the phone. 

“I’m okay,” Debra asked, giving a confused chuckle, “How are you?”

“I’m good,” Lily replied, “I’m just wondering why Bailey is sitting in my living room crying in the middle of a school day. I found her on the side of the road.”

“Damn it, I’ll be over.” 

Debra sighed and hung up the phone before calling Avery. 

“What do you want, Debra?” Avery answered. 

“Bailey is skipping school,” Debra snapped. “She’s at Lily and Amanda’s.”

“What? That’s not our Bailey,” Avery muttered. “Pick me up so I can pick her up with you.”

Debra hung up and left the studio, barely telling the others where she was going. They could figure it out for themselves if they really wanted to know. She backed out of the parking lot to make it home to pick up Avery. 

She couldn’t believe that Bailey was skipping school. Her daughter had always been at the top of her class, always receiving the best grades. And now she was skipping school? It was so unlike her. 

Debra honked the horn when she got to their house to let Avery know that she had arrived. Avery ran out of the house in a frenzy. It looked like she had just woken up and thrown on yesterday’s clothes. 

Avery climbed in the car, buckling her seatbelt. She stayed quiet. She didn’t know what to say. If she said anything, would Debra snap at her? Would they fight again? It was best to not find out. 

“I didn’t cheat,” Debra said, pulling up to a stoplight. 

“Then what were those messages?” Avery asked quietly. 

Debra bit her lip. She would have to tell Avery the truth if she wanted their relationship to be okay.

“I was manipulating the client.”

Avery didn’t like that Debra had the power to manipulate anything that moved. 

“Why?” Avery asked, trying to get more information out of her wife. 

“I wanted her money,” Debra muttered. 

“Speak up, I can’t hear you,” Avery said, harshly. 

“I said I wanted her money!” Debra said, extra loud this time. 

Avery stayed silent again. She hated how manipulative Debra could be sometimes. It wasn’t right. But on the other hand, there was only so much she could be mad at. Being mad was exhausting. 

“Well, I don’t like that you tricked her, but I’m glad you’re not cheating. I’m sorry for getting so upset,” Avery said quietly. 

Debra reached for Avery’s hand. It was her silent way of saying that they were okay. Avery smiled softly as Debra rubbed her thumb with her own. 

When they got to Lily and Amanda’s, they walked in and saw Bailey on the couch, watching TV. Lily, who was watching with her, left. 

“What do you think you’re doing, Bailey?” Debra snapped, walking over to turn the TV off. 

“Watching TV, get out of my way,” Bailey sassed. 

“I will not,” Debra said. 

“I said, get out of my way!” Bailey yelled. 

“Hey!” Avery intervened. “Don’t talk to her that way!”

“Like what?” Bailey asked, challenging them. 

“I don’t like your attitude, Bailey. I highly suggest you change it before you never see the outside of our house again,” Avery said. 

Anger exploded from the teenager and she stood up from the couch quickly. 

“You told me she loves me!” She pointed at Avery. “You lied!”

“I didn’t lie, Bailey!” Avery snapped. 

“Wait, what?” Debra asked. “Are you talking about me?”

Bailey had tears streaming down her face now, “You didn’t want me. You implied it last night. After you admitted you cheated on Mom.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t love you,” Debra said. Her voice was still hard as she was mad. 

“You might as well have said it,” Bailey said. “I heard it. And after you forgot about the plans, that just confirmed it.”

“Sit down,” Debra said harshly. Bailey did as she was told. She was quiet now. 

Debra paced Lily and Amanda’s living room. She was hurt. But as it always seemed to be, it was her fault. How could she fix this? She loved her daughter so much and the fact that her daughter thought otherwise made her feel like she failed as a parent. 

Debra pulled out her phone and clicked a few times before showing Bailey a picture of her as a young child with her parents standing behind her. 

“Those are my parents,” She said. She was still standing up to keep some distance between the two of them, “That’s my mom. She was a good mom but I think she saw me as more of a friend than a daughter.”

Bailey thought that Debra looked just like her mom but Debra thought Bailey looked exactly like her mom. 

“She loved me though. Even if she didn’t show it the right way,” Debra said. “She died when I was your age but I knew that she loved me.”

Avery stayed silent. 

Debra took a seat next to her daughter on the couch, fiddling with her fingers some while looking down. “I never wanted kids. But your mom did so I did it because I love her. And I love you too.” She let a silent tear drip down her face. Bailey wasn’t sure if she had even seen Debra cry. “I’m so sorry I made you feel that way, sunshine. I should never have said what I said.”

“It hurt,” Bailey said. 

“Words will never be enough to prove how sorry I am. I don’t always say the right thing but what I can say is that you’re my daughter and I don’t know how my life would be without you in it, but I can’t imagine that it would be any better than this. So starting tomorrow, every Tuesday is our day to hang out after school. Not because it’s the right thing to do, but because I  _ want  _ to. You’re my daughter and I love you.” Debra wiped her tears away before doing the same to Bailey’s. 

However, Bailey continued to cry more. Avery came over and sat beside her, rubbing her back. 

“I thought you didn’t love me,” She sobbed. 

Debra brought Bailey in for a hug, “Of course I do, Bailey. More than life itself.”

Bailey nodded and tried to control her crying. She really believed that Debra loved her now, but as much as she tried to stop crying, she couldn’t. 

“Why don’t we go home?” Aver suggested and Debra nodded. They grabbed Bailey’s things and Avery made sure to apologize to Lily and Amanda before leaving. They waved it off, saying it was no big deal and hugging Bailey as well, reminding her that they loved her as well. 

They climbed in the car and took off towards home. Bailey instantly fell asleep from being emotionally drained and Avery and Debra held hands, happy to be receiving love from each other. 


	10. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The family exchanges Christmas presents.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's not even close to Christmas but it's a cute and fluffy chapter.

When it came to Christmas, The Hammer family went all out when it came to presents. This shouldn't be a surprise however since Debra held over $500,000 in her bank account and the number only grew when her clients released new albums and singles. Because of this, everyone expected expensive gifts and they were happy when $500 items were placed in their laps.

Avery threw open Bailey’s door, “It’s Christmas!”

Bailey quickly sat up in bed, “It’s Christmas!”

They cheered together and Tofu ran around them in circles as they cheered in Bailey’s room. They got ready for the day and ate breakfast together quietly in the kitchen that consisted of eggs and toast with orange juice.

“Where’s Mama?” Bailey asked as they finished breakfast. Usually Debra was the first awake every morning.

“She went and picked up your present last night,” Avery told her. “We didn’t want you to see it yesterday.”

“What is it?!” Bailey asked, excitedly.

“Have we taught you nothing about patience?” Debra asked, coming in the kitchen to get some coffee. She was already ready for the day as well. Tofu came up beside her, trying to jump on the counter to get some of the leftover eggs that were meant for Debra.

“Down!” She snapped her fingers and Tofu backed off. However he quickly got excited again when their door opened, revealing Lily and Amanda who were coming over for the day to exchange presents as well. Amanda was carrying a bag with the presents in them.

Lily immediately picked up the little Terrier and cuddled him close, “We have presents! Even for this little guy!”

As if Tofu knew what Lily was saying, he wiggled his body in her arms and she giggled, setting him down. Debra quickly finished the eggs that Avery cooked for her before deciding that it was time for presents. They all gathered around in the living room with the presents they had bought for each other. They all mutually decided that Avery would receive her presents first, then Debra, Bailey, and Lily and Amanda.

“I wanna give her mine first!” Bailey screamed out. With a little help from Debra, Bailey was able to purchase exactly what Avery wanted and she couldn't wait to see her mom’s reaction when she opened it. 

Bailey lugged a heavy box over to her mom who grinned and began tearing the paper off, revealing a portable mixing board that she could take to parties when she wanted to play music.

Avery gasped, “You got this for me?”

Bailey suddenly blushed, becoming shy, “Mama helped me.”

Debra waved a hand, “It’s from Bailey.”

Avery immediately brought her daughter in for a hug. She wasn’t expecting to actually get the present she wanted but she was very grateful and the fact that it was from Bailey made it one hundred times better. Bailey hid her face in Avery’s arms.

“I just wanted to do something special for you because you always do so much for me,” She explained and Avery hugged her tighter.

“Thank you, sunshine. I absolutely love it.” She pulled away from her daughter but smiled at her more.

“My turn!” Debra announced and shoved an envelope in Avery’s hands. “Open it.”

Avery tore the envelope off and took out two tickets which she read, “Italy? We’re going to Italy?”

“It was nothing. I thought we could go for a short holiday,” Debra shrugged.

“But I got us tickets for Paris,” Avery said.

“It must be nice to be rich,” Lily said.

Debra looked at her, “It is.”

Amanda looked at her wife, “We’re about to be rich with the amount of time we’re gonna be watching Bailey for.”

Lily sighed in relief before remembering that it was their turn to give Avery their present to her. She pulled a wrapped box out and slid it over to Avery who unwrapped that as well. It turned out to be the latest MacBook Pro. Avery smiled and got off the couch to hug the couple.

“Thank you, guys. You didn’t have to do that,” Avery said. She was feeling grateful about all her presents. “Debra’s turn!”

“I’ll go since Mom already told hers,” Bailey said and revealed a rectangular present. She suddenly got shy, nervous about her present.

“Um, I didn’t know what to get because you’re kind of picky,” She said. Everyone laughed at her words and Bailey blushed, realizing what she had said. “That’s not what I meant! I just mean that I didn’t want to mess up because I love you.”

Debra didn’t really know what to say, so she stayed quiet and took the present from Bailey. She opened the gift to reveal a painting of Debra posing in front of her expensive car. It was an extraordinary painting for a sixteen year old.

Debra held the painting up so she could examine it, “This is incredible, Bailey.”

“You really like it?” Bailey was still blushing.

‘I do. It makes me look like a badass,” Debra replied and Bailey giggled. Debra stoked Bailey’s hair a little before turning to Lily and Amanda. “All right, it’s your turn.”

Lily nodded and reached in her pocket for a small envelope. She handed it to Debra who ripped it open and took out a Visa gift card. No one mentioned it was because Bailey was right, Debra was picky.

“Now you can get whatever you want,” Amanda said.

Debra seemed happy with the amount that was on the card and nodded in approval before setting the giftcard down. Avery pulled her own envelope out of her pocket and handed it over to Debra. Debra opened that envelope up too and sure enough, it was two tickets to Paris.

“This is exciting. I haven’t been since we got together,” Debra said.

Avery laughed, “Of course you’ve already been.”

Debra shrugged but kissed her wife as a thank you for the tickets.

“My turn!” Bailey said excitedly and Avery laughed a little.

Amanda handed over a gift. Bailey excitedly ripped into it, discovering it was a new paint kit. It came with a canvas and many colors of paints and sizes of brushes. It was huge and it looked very expensive.

“Thank you!” Bailey grinned and hugged her aunts, who grinned back.

“Now go check outside, kiddo,” She winked, and Bailey ran to go outside.

“She’s gonna sc-” Lily started but she was interrupted by a loud scream by the door.

“You got me a car?!” Bailey shrieked as she looked at the new black Mercedes-Benz in the driveway. There was a bow on top, which Avery had put there.

Debra and Avery join her at the window where she was still looking at the vehicle very excitedly.

“We did,” Debra nodded.

“Tofu helped buy it too,” Avery said.

Debra was quick to correct her, “We both paid for fifty percent of the car. Tofu did not.”

Bailey snickered before asking if she could drive it.

“Not yet,” Avery said. “We need to give Amanda and Lily their present.”

Bailey’s grin got wider as they went back into the living room where Amanda was cleaning up the torn paper that was on the ground. Lily was playing games on her phone.

“Amanda, you don’t need to clean. I have cleaners coming tomorrow,” Debra said and Amanda blushed.

“Thank you,” Avery said so Amanda knew her efforts weren’t wasted.

“Are you guys ready for your present?!” Bailey asked.

“We get a present?” Lily asked. She was not expecting a present, especially from Debra.

“I helped them pick it out,” Amanda said, “You’re gonna love it.”

“What is it?” Lily wondered.

“I’ll go get it!” Bailey said and dashed into another room. Lily and Amanda waited anxiously for the teenager to return. A few minutes later, Bailey returned with a small crate, with a bow on top again. She gently set the crate down and opened the door. A little Pumi puppy rushed outside and ran around. Lily gasped in happiness.

“Bailey,” Debra scolded as the dog knocked over Avery’s mixing board. “Control that dog.”

Bailey nodded and rushed to the dog, scooping him up and going to drop him into Lily’s lap, “His name is Oatmeal. Get it? Like oatmeal raisin?”

Lily shook her head, “I can’t believe you named a dog Oatmeal. But I also can’t believe you guys got us a dog!” She squealed, cuddling the energized dog.

“He’s gonna grow into a full sized dog in a matter of weeks,” Avery said.

Amanda grinned as well, “Thank you, guys.”

Debra shrugged like it was no big deal while Avery patted her best friend on the shoulder. Bailey continued to grin. This was the best Christmas so far. She had gotten a car and everyone she loved was with her.

“Oh! We forgot Tofu’s presents!” Amanda remembered and pulled a couple of stuffed animals out of a bag for him. Tofu immediately got to work on shredding them to bits.

“Can I go drive now?” Bailey asked and Debra nodded, handing over the keys. 

“Don’t go too far, do you hear me? The car isn’t registered,” She said, making sure Bailey understood. Bailey nodded and ran off, excited about her new car. Debra and Avery stayed inside where Debra poured them all a glass of wine. Avery started a fire in the fireplace and sat down next to her wife.

“This was a successful Christmas,” Avery said.

Debra nodded and kissed Avery’s shoulder. She agreed, it was a good Christmas. Amanda and Lily nodded their agreements as well as they curled up by the fireplace as well. It was a little too hot to be lighting a fire in California, but it added to the Christmas effect.

“You know what would make this an even better Christmas?” Lily said.

“What?” Amanda asked.

“Dinner.”


	11. It’s My Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day in the life of eighteen year old Debra.

Debra snapped awake at her bedroom door being thrown open and her light being flipped on. She groaned. She had just gotten to bed two hours ago because homework always seemed to crush her when it came to time. She squinted her eyes as she tried to make out her dad standing in the doorway.

“Time to get up. You can’t be late,” Her dad said and she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, sitting up.

“I’m awake,” She told him and he left, slamming the door behind him.

Debra sighed and forced the sleepiness out of her brain before getting out of bed. She grabbed some clothes from her closet before heading to the bathroom to turn the shower on and hopping in. The hot water woke her up some and helped her get rid of the stress that she was carrying on her shoulders.

The eighteen year old was dealt a handful of cards that was far too stressful for anyone her age to handle. Her mom died, she was thrown out into a tent for weeks until she threatened to call the police, and they were nearly evicted from their house anyways.

The shower was her safe spot. The place where she could cry freely without anyone knowing. As long as there was still hot water for her dad, she could do whatever she wanted in the shower.

She turned the water off and got out before quickly pulling her clothes on and going to the kitchen to grab breakfast before school. She rolled her eyes when she saw that the kitchen was empty. No food was in the fridge or the cabinet. She would have to suffer from another missed meal. She shoved the hunger away as she left for school.

* * *

Debra grinned as she saw her best friend at the time, Olivia. Olivia wasn’t allowed in their house anymore from the time they were caught making out but Debra had her ways to sneak around. She needed to see Olivia. Olivia understood her in ways that other people couldn’t.

She sat at the empty desk next to her friend and pulled out her homework so the teacher could come by and collect it.

“Hey,” Olivia said.

“Hi,” Debra said back. “What did you do last night? I tried calling.”   
  


Olivia frowned, “Oh sorry, my parents took my brother and I out to eat. Would you want to get ice cream after school?”

“I don’t have any money. I’m working all day tomorrow,” Debra frowned.

Olivia waved a hand, “That’s okay, I can pay.”

Debra smiled this time, “You’re the best.”

They both jumped as the teacher spoke up, “Debra, is there anything you’d like to share with the class?”

She blushed and ducked her head, “No.”

“Do not interrupt my class again,” The teacher said.

That was embarrassing. Now the whole class was snickering in her direction and she didn’t want everyone’s attention on her. Most people didn’t like that. A piece of paper found its way in front of her and she opened it. 

_ Meet me by my locker after school.  _

She smiled shyly at Olivia and scrawled a note back. 

_ It’s a date. _

* * *

“Two scoops of chocolate ice cream in a bowl please,” Olivia told the employee. The employee rang them up and Olivia handed over some money, getting the ice cream in return. 

They both grabbed spoons and chose a picnic table to eat at. They sat across from each other, eating silently. 

“Do your parents know about us?” Debra asked out of the blue. It was a question that had been on her mind for months. 

“I mean they may suspect it but I haven’t said anything. And I don’t think I should,” Olivia said. 

Debra stayed silent. 

“Come on, Debra. You know why. I can’t lose you. You’re smart, you’re funny. You’re kind, and caring and beautiful. I can’t give that up,” Olivia told her. 

“I don’t want to lose you either,” Debra said. 

Olivia placed a hand on top of Debra’s. “We’ll get through this together.”

* * *

“Where were you?” Rob asked as Debra came home. 

“I was working on homework at the library,” Debra told him and she set her backpack down, digging through it to find her completed homework. 

Much to Rob’s surprise, the homework was completed, even the extra credit question. He sighed and handed the paper back.

“Dinner will be ready in a half hour,” Rob told her. “Be there or you won’t get any.”

Debra nodded and headed to her room, flopping on her bed. The everlasting hatred from her dad was starting to tear her down. How could she live with no support? She wished her mom was with her more than anything else. Her mom always supported her and that support was ripped away from her when she was crushed by the car that slammed into her. 

The plans they had of leaving Rob and getting their own place were destroyed. Now she had to put up with her negligent father. How much more could she put up with it? Until she passed out from starvation? Or until she was kicked to the tent again for kissing someone of the same gender?

But it was her life. She could do what she pleased. She just needed to graduate and she could leave Hell. In just a few months she could experience  _ freedom _ again. The shower could take a break from being her safe spot. She would no longer have to sneak out with girls. 

The thought of her being able to run freely without her dad breathing down her back thrilled her and brought a smile to her face. She didn’t know what she had in store for her but she had big hopes and dreams. Maybe she would be the most successful business woman there was, making millions. Or maybe she’d end up in a New York apartment on her own. But whatever it was, she couldn’t wait to find out. 


	12. Who Am I?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bailey wonders about who her dad is.

Bailey sat on the bed in her freshman dorm, making out with Phoebe, another freshman student, at UCLA. Her grades had finally paid off and she was on track for an art degree. She was very happy that she was able to be accepted into a school in her hometown and would be able to go home on the weekends to see her moms. 

Avery was very happy about that as well and Debra had expressed that she didn’t care where her daughter ended up at. Though both Avery and Bailey secretly knew that she was happy Bailey would be attending school nearby too. 

After the heated sex that they had, Bailey and Phoebe both laid down together on Bailey’s bed. Bailey held Phoebe in her arms as they controlled their breathing, sleepily. 

Bailey sighed when her phone went off, displaying a picture of Debra’s annoyed face that she had chosen for her contact picture on her phone. She sighed and declined the call, flipping the phone over. She knew she would get harassed for it later, but hey, she had a smokin hot girl in her arms. 

“Who was that?” Phoebe asked. 

“Oh it was one of my moms,” Bailey said, stroking Phoebe’s hair. 

“Oh, you have two moms?” Phoebe asked. 

“Yeah,” Bailey said, wanting to leave it at that. 

“Do you know your dad?” Phoebe pushed. 

“I don’t have a dad,” Bailey responded. 

“Yeah, you do,” Phoebe said. “You just haven’t met him.”

“Well my moms always said it was anonymous,” Bailey told her. Truth be told, Bailey was a bit of a player. And she didn’t quite like to tell her story to just anyone who she slept with. 

“Maybe they just told you that because they didn’t want you to know,” Phoebe said. 

Bailey didn’t want to admit it, but Phoebe had a point. She knew her mama kept more things in than an average mom. Maybe she had access to her dad the whole time and she didn’t realize it. 

* * *

The next day was Tuesday and Bailey had one mission on her mind. And that was to find out about her dad. After stopping at Starbucks for something to give her energy, she pulled around the corner to her Moms’ house. She sighed in relief when she saw that no cars were occupying the driveway, meaning no one was home. 

Bailey parked in the driveway and got out of the car, letting herself in and saying hi to Tofu, before dashing to her parents’ room to sleuth. 

She wasn’t supposed to be in the room without their permission, but she figured it wouldn’t hurt since no one was home. She would make sure to cover her tracks up after. 

Bailey immediately went to Debra’s walk in closet, scanning the room for a box that she found sitting under the rack of blazers. She dove for the box, removing the lid and searching through the papers. A picture of Debra who looked pregnant and annoyed sat on top. She rested a hand on her stomach and looked to be glaring at the person taking the picture, who Bailey guessed to be Avery. Another picture was underneath. This time it was a younger Debra standing with an older man. Debra looked uncomfortable. After quickly looking at all the pictures, she came across the important papers that occupied the box. 

Medical bills, old client contracts, and unsigned divorce papers all were cluttered together. She ignored the last two and searched through the medical bills, trying to find a donor contract or something that would indicate a father and not just someone who was anonymous. 

“What are you doing?” Someone asked, standing behind her. 

_ Fuck,  _ Bailey thought. She turned around and Debra was standing in the doorway. Bailey would be lying if she said Debra didn’t look mad. Her lips were pursed and her arms were crossed over her chest and she looked like she had just gotten back from the studio. 

“Doing my hobbies?” Bailey lamely said. 

“Are your hobbies snooping around in my closet and not answering your phone?” Debra asked. She pointed towards the door. “Out.”

Bailey sadly put the lid on the box and walked out. “Maybe I wouldn’t have to snoop around if you just stopped hiding everything from me.”

“I’m your mom, not your best friend,” Debra said. 

“Still,” Bailey pushed. “You don’t tell me anything!”

They both walked downstairs and into the kitchen. They both were heated now and they both thought they had valid points to make an argument. 

“You just show up at my house and go through my things? I don’t think so,” Debra said.

“I wasn’t going through your things,” Bailey argued. “I just needed something!”

“What? What could you possibly need?” Debra asked. 

“I wanna know about my dad!” Bailey said. 

“Don’t call him the dad!” Debra said. “He’s the donor!”

Their voices were elevated now and it was clear that a screaming match had begun. 

“Who is he?!” Bailey demanded. 

“I don’t know!” Debra yelled. 

Debra knew she should have been the parent and try to calm the situation down, but it was getting more heated by the second and she knew she wasn’t one to back down. 

“Just tell me!” Bailey yelled. 

“I told you! I don’t know!” Debra yelled back.

And apparently that was enough for Bailey because she grabbed her nearly empty Starbucks cup and walked out the door. As she left, she passed Avery. 

“Get your wife to stop lying to me,” Bailey said and got in her car, driving off. 

“What the hell, Debra?” Avery asked. 

“I’m not lying!” Debra said, and turned around leaving her wife outside alone. 

* * *

It was two in the morning and Bailey couldn’t sleep. No matter how many times she tossed and turned, she continued to stay wide awake. She knew why. She hated fighting with her parents. It was the worst. And she knew deep down inside that Debra probably wasn’t lying about this, at least. 

Giving up hope on sleeping, she slipped on some flip flops, grabbed her keys and snuck out the door to her car. She needed to fix this. 

Soon enough, Bailey pulled up to her parents house again and got out. She figured Debra was sleeping. Debra was one to go to sleep earlier and wake up early while Avery went to sleep later and woke up late. 

Bailey figured it would be best if she just rang the doorbell instead of walking inside. No need to give her parents a heart attack and end their lives before she could apologize. 

She rang the doorbell and waited patiently for the door to open. She was surprised when Debra answered the door instead of Avery. 

“Oh,” Debra said when she realized who it was. “It’s you.”

“Who else would be knocking on the door at two in the morning?” Bailey asked. 

Debra rolled her eyes at the sass coming from her daughter. She should have expected that though when she was full of sass herself. She walked back inside and Bailey followed her in. Avery was sitting on the couch, binge watching a new series on Netflix, curled up in a blanket. 

“What do you want?” Debra asked. “I’m about to go to bed.”

“To say sorry,” Bailey said. Her voice became weak. To be honest, Debra scared her, even after almost nineteen years of living. 

“To say sorry?” Debra asked. Bailey could hear the amusement in her voice. Avery watched from the couch. 

“Yes,” Bailey confirmed. She felt anxiety rising in her chest. 

“Hmm okay, I forgive you,” Debra decided and crossed her arms. “I wouldn’t lie about something like that.”

Bailey nodded. She was uncomfortable. “Okay.”

“We wanted to use an anonymous donor for a few reasons,” Avery spoke up from the couch. “The most important one being that there’s a lot of legal issues and stuff when you use one you know in the first place. If we knew who the donor was and you wanted to know, we would tell you.”

“But he’s not your dad,” Debra said firmly. “You don’t have one.”

“I don’t have one,” Bailey echoed. 

“Why did you even want to know in the first place?” Avery asked, hugging her knees to her chest. “What brought this on?”

“Just some girl was harassing me about it,” Bailey said, waving a hand. 

“A friend?” Avery asked. 

“Uh yeah,” Bailey said. 

Debra scrunched up her face, cluing in. “A girlfriend or someone who’s more than a friend but less than a girlfriend?”

Bailey blushed. 

“I don’t want to know,” Debra decided and left. 

“Do you think we’re okay?” Bailey asked. 

Avery nodded towards where Debra disappeared to. “You and her? Oh yeah, you would know if you weren’t.”

Bailey sighed in relief and sat down next to her mom on the couch. “Sorry I snapped at you when you didn’t do anything.”

Avery shrugged. “It’s okay.”

“Yeah?” Bailey asked, eyeing her wearily. 

“Yeah. We all do things we don’t mean to do,” Avery told her and then scolded her lightly. “Maybe learn how to answer your phone though.”

Bailey laughed quietly and laid her head on Avery’s shoulder. It was then that she decided that having two moms was way cooler than having a mom and a dad. 


	13. Growing  Only Happens On Your Own

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A story about Avery and Bailey.

The alarm clock blasts Avery out of her dreamless sleep. She groaned and turned over, sighing when the other side of the bed was empty. She forces herself to wake up, even though the day seems impossible to complete. She’s needed by her family, they wouldn’t be able to survive without her.

She stayed in her pajamas because that’s easiest for her. Why make life tough? Pulling her hair into a pile on top of her head and making sure her teeth are brushed, Avery decided that it was time to wake up Bailey, who hates getting up almost as much as she does.

She knocked on the door before entering. “Bailey, it’s time to get up.”

“No,” Bailey mumbled into her pillow.

Avery sighed, she knew that Bailey would be grumpy. That’s all she ever was. She leaned down and shook her shoulder gently. 

“Bailey, please wake up,” Avery pleaded. “We can’t let the day start without us.”

Bailey groaned and sat up. “Happy?”

“Very,” Avery answered. “Now get up because you need to go to school. I’m gonna get in trouble if I let you miss another day.”

Avery left her room to allow her to get dressed as she curled up on the couch, waiting for her daughter to get ready. She nearly fell asleep again but Bailey came into the living room, knocking things around as she tried to make herself cereal.

Avery walked up to her, handing her a banana and granola bar. “Have this instead.”

Bailey nodded, grabbing the food and her bag before following Avery out to the car after Avery grabbed her mug of coffee. She slips into the passenger seat and Avery starts up the car. 

“You should start wearing a coat,” Avery said. “It’s getting cold out.”

“You’re wearing a tank top,” Bailey grumbled. 

“Touché,” Avery mumbled and they made their way to school. 

When they got to school, there was a line of cars waiting to drop their kids off too. As they approached the front of the line, Bailey gathered her bag and everything she needed. 

“Have a good-“

Bailey got out and slammed the door before Avery could finish her sentence. Avery sighed. The attitude that Bailey had wasn’t acceptable but she knew that she was going through a rough time. 

Avery drove back home, letting herself in the small house, locking the door behind her. She poured herself more coffee and curled up with a blanket and her writing notebook. 

Things had been tough lately, too tough. She spent her days writing in her notebook, sleeping, and doing the bare minimum. She wondered if Debra thought about her. What Debra was doing. Sometimes when she was lucky, Lily came over and cooked a meal for them or got her out of the house other than driving her daughter to school. 

The day dragged by slowly, the time on the clock ticking quietly. When it was lunch time, Avery looked in the fridge. The amount of food was slowly getting smaller and smaller, being eaten by Bailey. Avery decided that it wasn’t that great to eat and she closed the fridge door. 

When it was finally time to pick up her kiddo, Avery set down her notebook, filled her coffee cup yet again, and went back out to the car in her pajamas. 

“Hey, Pumpkin. How was your day?” Avery asked Bailey as she climbed in. 

“Fine,” Bailey said. 

“What did you do?” Avery asked. 

“Work,” Bailey said, clearly not in the mood for conversation.

Avery sighed and they took off towards home. 

“I got an A on my spelling quiz,” Bailey spoke up. 

“You did? That’s fantastic,” Avery said, trying to light her face up. 

“I just wish Mom was proud of me,” Bailey whispered, tears springing to her eyes. 

“She is, baby. She is,” Avery said. It was an automatic response. 

“But-“

Avery slammed on her horn and brakes at the same time as a car pulled out in front of her. 

“Fucking idiot!” She yelled, taking a deep breath before accelerating again. “What were you saying?” 

“Never mind,” Bailey said. 

Avery sighed and they pulled into their driveway. Bailey set down her bag and went to her room. Avery, not wanting to cook, looked at some pizza flyers. 

She decided on a pepperoni and sausage pizza along with some breadsticks and made the call for their dinner. 

The pizza sat in the middle of the table, Avery staring at it while Bailey slowly nibbled on it. 

“Are you going to eat?” Bailey asked. 

“I had a late lunch,” Avery lied. 

Bailey looked at her almost like she didn’t believe her but nodded and finished her pizza. When Bailey finished, Avery cleaned her plate and put it back in the cabinet before grabbing a beer and a pack of cigarettes, going outside. It was a routine now. 

Avery checked the notifications on her phone, hoping for anything but Lily to text her. She sighed when there was a message from Lily. 

She shot a text back to her friend and slipped her phone into her pocket, taking a drag from the cigarette, enjoying the cold weather on her bare skin as the minutes ticked by. 

Avery snapped her head as she felt someone sit next to her. Lily. Lily was afraid to leave her alone even though Avery said she was fine. 

Lily began to talk. “Look, I know Debra-“ 

“Don’t say it! Don’t say the words,” Avery pleaded. She couldn’t listen to the words being said out loud. It was too much. She was already broken. She didn’t need to be broken again. 

Lily sat in silence next to her friend. She didn’t know what to do besides be there for her. She had never seen her friend in so much pain and she felt useless. 

Eventually, it got too late and Lily left after promising to come over the next day. Avery cleaned up her beer and cigarettes and made sure that Bailey was in bed before jumping in a steaming hot shower. It never cleared her thoughts anymore. 

And then she got in bed. She wasn’t sleepy but she was tired. Most nights were just her laying in bed with her eyes closed until she fell asleep in the morning. This was her life now and there was nothing she could do about it because she had chosen this.


	14. Bailey's Eighteenth Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bailey celebrates her eighteenth birthday.

When Bailey’s alarm went off, she was too sleepy to register that it was a special day. All she could think about was going back to sleep. She grabbed her blanket and rolled over, about to enter Dreamland when a knock at her door forced the sleep away. Avery opened the door and Tofu rushed inside, quick to give her good morning kisses. Bailey laughed at her dog and scooped him up to hug him.

“Happy birthday, Sunshine,” Avery grinned from the doorway.

Bailey grinned as the special day came back to her memory. “Thanks.”

“Do you want pancakes for breakfast? I know that’s your favorite. Ooh we can go out!” Avery said excitedly. “Mama won’t be able to go because she has meetings all day but she’ll definitely be home in time for dinner.”

Bailey frowned. She wished she could spend the whole day with her Mama. However, she knew to take what she could get. So she pulled a smile on her face and agreed. 

Avery let her daughter get ready. She got ready and fed Tofu for Bailey. Debra came out. She was ready for work in a red blazer. Her hair was in a bun and she was ready to rush out the door. 

“Hey, you know it’s-”

Debra interrupted Avery. “I know. You don’t need to remind me.”

Avery signed, knowing that Debra had forgotten Bailey’s birthday last year due to her busy schedule. 

Bailey bounced out of her bedroom, happily slipping on a jacket before going over to her Mama. 

“Do you know what today is?” She asked, picking up Tofu, who wanted to see what Debra was doing.

“I have a meeting at noon and a meeting at four. I have to meet with a client in between at the studio-”

“You really don’t remember?” Bailey looked hurt. After eighteen years, her Mama still didn’t know when her birthday was. She was the one who gave birth to her and she couldn’t remember the important date.

“I’m kidding, baby,” Debra said, placing a hand on her daughter’s back. “I know it’s your birthday. I’ll be home no later than six.” Debra kissed her forehead.

“I want to go out after,” Bailey said. “With my friends.”

“I’ll be home at six,” Debra repeated. “Have fun with your mom.”

Debra vanished out the door and Bailey sighed, looking back at her mom. Avery grinned and motioned her out the door with her hand. It was her baby’s eighteenth birthday and she wasn’t going to let anyone ruin that for her daughter. 

They drove to Bailey’s favorite local breakfast restaurant and they sat at a booth, both of them choosing coffee as their drinks. When their server left them, they talked some. Bailey enjoyed talking to her mom alone. It was nice to be able to catch up without anyone else around.

“Got any fun birthday plans today?” Avery asked.

“Um, I might get a tattoo,” Bailey confessed.

“A tattoo?” Avery asked, surprised. “Of what?”

Bailey took her phone out of her pocket and swiped across the screen for a minute before flipping the phone around to show her mother. It was clear that she had spent time thinking about the tattoo because she had drawn it. It was The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh. Avery thought it was perfect for Bailey as painting was her passion. It was something she picked up from Debra, even though Debra had a different passion.

“It suits you. Where are you getting it on your body?” Avery asked.

Bailey pointed to the spot below her elbow on the inside of her left arm. 

“Well it looks good,” Avery grinned.

Bailey grinned as well and they ordered their meals. They talked about things like Bailey starting college in the next month and how Bailey wanted another dog for Tofu to have a sibling but Debra would never allow it. They paid the bill and drove home, deciding to make a cake for Bailey’s birthday.

“I remember when you made mom help me bake a cake for my birthday when you were three,” Avery said as she watched Bailey mix the ingredients for the cake. 

“Did she?” Bailey asked. She poured the mixture in the pan and began to spread it out evenly. 

“She said we should just buy one, but yes,” Avery said and they both laughed lightly as they finished the cake. 

The afternoon turned into evening and the minutes were ticking into the six o’clock hour with no Debra to be found. 

“Do you think she’ll be here on time?” Bailey asked nervously. Avery had cooked a nice meal with chicken, potatoes, and a salad. It was a special meal for a special day. 

“Relax, kiddo. She’ll be here in no time,” Avery said. But even she was worried that Debra wouldn’t make it in time. 

Proving them wrong, exactly at six, Debra walked through the door with a big wrapped box in her hand. She carefully set it down on the floor. 

“Who’s ready for dinner?” She asked and they all sat down for the feast, enjoying each other’s company without a care in the world. When dinner was over, Bailey got ready to hang out with her friends. She wore a white Nirvana crop top with black skinny jeans and hoop earrings with her hair down. It was her eighteenth birthday and she wanted to look hot. But she also slipped on her grandma’s necklace. She had never met her grandma but she wanted to make her proud anyways and she felt like the least she could do was wear her necklace that Debra had given her. 

“Knock knock,” Avery said, knocking on the half shut door. 

“Come in,” Bailey responded. 

“I have a gift for you,” Avery said. 

“For me?” Bailey asked. 

“You’re the birthday girl,” Avery said. She sat on Bailey’s bed and Bailey followed her. Avery took Bailey’s hand and placed something in the palm of her hand. When Bailey looked down, there were four one hundred dollar bills in her hand. 

“For the tattoo,” Avery explained. “It probably won’t be that much so use the rest for yourself. Not food or something dumb. Make it special for yourself.”

Bailey grinned. “Thanks.”

Avery took her daughter into a hug. “I’m so proud of you, Sunshine. You’ve had to grow up a lot faster than other kids and I know it’s not easy. But that makes me so proud to say you’re my daughter because I know you can accomplish anything.”

Bailey blushed into her mom’s shoulder. “Don’t get sappy on me. But thank you.”

Avery laughed and sniffled. “I’m trying to tell you I’m proud of you.”

“Wait, are you crying?” Bailey asked. 

“What? No!” Avery said but when they walked out of the room together, Avery quickly wiped her tears away. 

“Don’t leave yet!” Debra said. “I have a gift for you.”

Bailey walked over to Debra who was holding out the box that she came home with. 

“For you,” She said with a genuine smile on her face. 

Bailey gently took the box from her and sat down on the couch with it, unwrapping it. She wasn’t surprised when it was the newest MacBook that came out less than a month ago. 

“Thank you,” Bailey said. “You know my laptop is a year old right?”

“You’re going to college in a month,” Debra said. “You might as well have the latest technology.”

Bailey grinned and held out her arms so she could hug Debra. Debra sighed in a joking manner and took her daughter into a hug, even kissing the top of her head. When they pulled away, Debra noticed the necklace Bailey was wearing. 

She nodded to it with her chin. “You don’t wear that anymore.”

“I don’t want to lose it,” Bailey said. “It means a lot to you. And to me.”

“It looks nice on you,” Debra said. “You should wear it more.”

Bailey nodded awkwardly and Debra took the hint, motioning her away. 

“All right, now leave. I know you wanna go hang out with your friends,” Debra said and Bailey gave a quick goodbye to her parents before rushing out to her car. 

She quickly spotted her friends at the local coffee shop she chose to meet at and snuck up on Sadie, jumping on her back. 

“Boo!” She said, and Sadie immediately hooked her arms around Bailey’s legs. Bailey responded by kissing Sadie’s cheek, which Sadie grinned at. 

“All right, love birds. This coffee shop is about to close so I suggest you stop making out,” Their friend, Mackenzie, said. 

“Bitch,” Bailey said and hopped off Sadie’s back. 

“Don’t hate me cuz I’m telling the truth,” Mackenzie said. 

“She’s right,” Zoey, their other friend, said. “Y’all can’t separate.”

Sadie blushed but Bailey kept it cool and opened the door to the shop. “I don’t know about you guys, but I want coffee.”

They walked into the coffee shop together, all ordering coffee and sitting down. They talked about anything and everything including their future colleges, significant others, and plans for the rest of their summers. 

Eventually they were getting the glares of tired employees and they took the hint to leave the restaurant. 

“Are we really doing this?” Zoey asked. 

“Hell yeah we are,” Bailey answered. “I’m the last to turn eighteen. It’s a celebration.”

They all had their own tattoo ideas picked out. Bailey had her painting, Sadie had a small skateboard, Mackenzie had Mickey ears, and Zoey had flowers. They even had appointments and were ready to be inked up. 

When they got to the studio, they eagerly filled out the necessary papers to get tattoos. Bailey was excited to use her ID, being eighteen for the first time. She met with her artist and they discussed the placement and size of the tattoo before he cleaned her arm and put a stencil on it.

An hour later, Bailey had a smile on her face as she looked at the tattoo on the inside of her arm. She loved it so much already. It held a special meaning for her. Debra was the first to teach her how to paint and ever since day one, she loved the feeling of dipping a brush into a jar of paint and setting her mind free.

When her friends’ tattoos were done too, they took a picture of their tattoos together before parting ways. Bailey really thought she had the best birthday ever as she was able to spend it with everyone she loved.

When she got home, she snuck into the house, trying not to wake her parents up. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Debra and Avery snuggled up together under a blanket on the couch watching Netflix.

“Why are you guys up?” She asked. The room was illuminated by a lamp in the corner and it was hard to make out their figures.

“We wanted to make sure you got home safely,” Avery explained. She untangled herself from Debra’s cuddle and got up from under the blanket.

“I’m fine,” Bailey whispered back.

“Well we wouldn’t have known that unless we stayed up,” Debra sassed and also got up. “What’s that on your arm?”

Debra got up and grabbed Bailey’s arm, looking at the wrapped up art. Bailey gulped, nervous about Debra’s reaction. She had only told Avery about the tattoo and she thought she would have enough time to have a conversation in her head about the tattoo with Debra. But they were awake and any attempts of having the tattoo conversation in the morning had flown out the window.

“A tattoo,” Bailey said.

Debra squinted to see it in the limited light. “The Starry Night? An odd choice.”

“Debra,” Avery scolded.

“It looks nice,” Debra said, trying to correct herself. “I’m just not sure why you chose it besides loving art.”

Bailey shrugged, looking at her feet. Debra released her daughter’s arm. Avery watched them closely as they all sat down on the couch together.

“Painting is my passion. That’s why I’m going to school for it. But I don’t know if I ever would have found that passion if it weren't for you. Painting is your hobby. It’s something we share together. I guess it could almost be a tattoo for you,” Bailey explained.

Debra was surprised. She hadn’t picked up a paint brush in over a decade and Bailey was confessing that she was part of the reason why Bailey had chosen that tattoo for herself. It felt odd, like she didn’t deserve to be part of something so meaningful to Bailey. She hadn’t deserved it in the past.

“Remember when we took you to the museum and you looked at the painting for the first time?” Avery asked. They were all still whispering.

“Vaguely,” Bailey said.

Debra whispered. “If painting is truly your passion, you would have found it by yourself, even if I didn’t help.”

“You’re my mom though so it makes it just another reason to get it,” Bailey said. 

Debra couldn’t argue with Bailey. The tattoo was already on her body. She didn’t care that she had gotten a tattoo. She was eighteen now and she couldn’t stop her. It was just hard for her to wrap her head around the tattoo that Bailey had chosen.

“It looks nice, Bailey. I’m glad you got it,” Avery said.

Bailey smiled softly. All she wanted to do was make her parents happy. Avery was fine with the tattoo and Debra didn’t seem mad.

After sitting in silence for a minute, Debra was the first to get up, saying she was going to bed. They broke the silence, saying goodnight and going to their respective rooms to get ready for bed. When Avery was ready for bed, she slid under the covers and waited for Debra to do the same thing.

“I gave Bailey the money for the tattoo,” Avery told her wife.

“Why? Did you know she was going to get that?” Debra asked.

“I knew that she chose that tattoo, but not the full meaning behind it, I really thought it was just because she liked art,” Avery explained. She cuddled up to Debra and Debra wrapped an arm around her.

“I don’t deserve to be part of a tattoo,” Debra laughed softly.

“Yes, you do,” Avery sighed.

“Avery-”

“Don’t argue,” Avery said softly. “Just accept it. You’ve changed. You’re not the same.”

Debra stayed quiet for a minute, thinking. She had a tattoo herself, but she never thought of her daughter getting one until it happened.

“Why would she get a tattoo for me though?” Debra asked.

“I think it was more than you,” Avery explained. “Art is her everything.”

Debra nodded and kissed her wife on the head. As melancholy as the night was, it was good. Her daughter was a legal adult now and Bailey had chosen to get a tattoo that reminded her of her mom. And while she knew she would never understand it fully, she would do her best to live up to the tattoo that Bailey had gotten for her.


	15. First Time Grammy Winner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Avery is nominated for the first time at the Grammys.

Avery stirred from her sleep as her phone began to buzz beside her. She turned over, ignoring her phone. Eight in the morning was too early to be answering the phone. But as soon as she was drifting off again, the phone began to vibrate again. 

“Hold on,” She mumbled to no one as she picked up the phone, answering it and putting it to her ear. She laid back down.

“Hello?” She yawned into the phone.

“Avery,” Debra said. 

“Yes?” Avery said. She wasn’t supposed to be in the studio today. She hoped that she could spend the day in bed but with Debra as her agent, she knew that she had to be ready for anything to happen.

“Or should I start calling you a Grammy nominated artist now?” Debra asked. Her sarcastic attitude never failed to shine through.

Avery sprang up in bed.

“Stop it,” She said.

“I will not,” Debra said. 

“You’re kidding,” Avery continued. 

“I don’t joke,” said Debra. 

It was hard for her to wrap her head around it. Suddenly, achieving her goals was nearly at her fingertips. She imagined herself at the event that was only a couple of months away. 

“Which category?” She asked. 

“Album of the Year,” Debra replied. 

“Really?” Avery asked. 

“I already told you, I don’t joke,” Debra said. 

“Right,” Avery said. 

“And Song of the Year,” Debra said. 

“What-”

“And Best New Artist,” Debra finished. 

“Stop,” Avery said. There were tears in her eyes and she had put her hand over her mouth in shock. She had not one, not two, but three Grammy nominations. Life had a way of shaking things up at the most unexpected times. 

“You need to prepare a speech in case you do win. They also want you to perform. Be on the lookout for an email from me for when rehearsals start. Have a good day, Avery.” Debra hung up the phone, leaving Avery to recover from her shock. 

* * *

“Hey! My best friend is nominated for three Grammys!” Lily told an old man at the grocery store. “And she’s performing!”

“Good for her!” The old man said, giving her a thumbs up and steering his mobility scooter away. Lily grinned. 

“Okay, you don’t need to tell everyone,” Avery groaned. She grabbed some chips and then put them back after reading the back. “Debra won’t like these. They have too many carbs. I wonder what it’ll be like when we finally live together.” 

Lily ignored her second comment and focused on the first. “Okay but it’s not every day that my friend gets nominated for three Grammys!”

“Keep it down. I don’t feel like taking pictures today,” Avery whispered. Her hood and sunglasses proved her point. 

“Sorry,” Lily grinned. 

“Now help me find food for Debra,” Avery said. 

  
  


* * *

Avery sat backstage next to Debra. There were only two weeks left until the Grammys and the rehearsals were long. She couldn’t complain though. This was what she wanted. 

She took a sip of her water bottle and turned to Debra who was scribbling away in her planner. She had a focused expression on her face. Nothing came between her and her planner. 

“Ed Sheeran’s won Grammys, right?” Avery asked. 

“Four. Thanks to me,” Debra replied. She didn’t look up from her planner. 

“That’s cool,” Avery said. But she couldn’t not ask the question that was weighing on her mind. “You know there are agents who bribe the Academy with money right?”

Debra looked up from her planner. “We don’t talk about that. Not here.”

Avery lowered her voice. “Okay, but did you do it with me?”

She looked insecure and she was afraid of the answer. Did these nominations mean anything? Or was it simply given to her with the exchange of money behind her back? Did Debra think she couldn’t achieve this on her own? If she were to win a Grammy, she wanted it to happen the right way. Not a way that involved cheating. The thought hurt her. 

“No, I didn’t pay for you to be nominated,” Debra whispered harshly. “Why would you ask that?”

Avery shrugged and looked down. Her insecurity was shining through right to the surface.

Debra sighed and clicked her pen before closing her planner. She was in agent mode and she had a job to do. Comforting Avery was not part of the job.

“You need to start seeing yourself as someone who’s been nominated for a Grammy. Not anyone less,” Debra said. She picked up her own water bottle along with her pen and planner and stood up, leaving Avery alone.

  
  


* * *

Avery wore a black and gold sleeveless dress that fell to her feet. Her blue tips were freshly dyed and she rocked a smokey eyed look. Debra thought she was easily the best looking person there. She posed for the cameras and talked to the interviewers with ease.

“What’s it like being up for three nominations after your very first album?” A lady asked.

“I’m still confused. I mean look, there’s Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber. It’s crazy to believe that I’m in the same category as them,” Avery grinned, pointing at the other celebrities.

“Well you better believe it,” The lady ginned and Avery grinned back before moving onto someone else who wanted her attention.

After the red carpet was over, everyone went inside and took their seats. Avery thought she was lucky to be able to be one of the many performers. But what was even more lucky was that she was the first to perform. It was scary since more people were watching but this is what the last few months had led up to. It was now or never.

When her performance was finished, the crowd roared with cheers. Everyone was clapping their hands and it was all because of her performance. Avery scanned the crowd for Debra. When they locked eyes, Debra gave a small nod of approval, which meant everything to Avery.

When she was rushed off stage to get to her seat for the awards to begin, she bumped into Debra. She wasn’t sure on how Debra made it backstage so fast but Debra had magic in everything she did. She gasped when Debra held up a bouquet of flowers. She hadn’t seen Debra with those flowers before.

“For you,” Debra said, pushing the flowers in Avery’s direction. “I don’t know what’s going to happen but flowers are a dating thing, right?”

Avery nodded and took the flowers from Debra and pulled the older woman into a hug, embracing her tightly. Debra stiffened her body and hugged Avery back. Avery thought that Debra was the best hugger and maybe it was because Debra rarely gave them out.

“Now let’s get to our seats,” Debra said, pulling away from the hug and shooing Avery in the direction towards their seats.

Avery nervously shook her leg while she waited for the other categories to come and go. The pit in her stomach was something she couldn’t get rid of and if she was near a bathroom, she knew that the contents that filled her stomach would be gone. Debra silently put a hand on her leg and Avery got the message to stop.

“Your category is up next,” Debra whispered and for a minute, Avery thought she really was going to get sick.

The presenters announced the nominees for Best New Artist and the crowd went silent as the presenters opened the envelope up to read the name inside.

“And the Grammy goes to…Avery Mercer!” The presenter smiled and Avery let her head drop into her hands for a second before she stood up. Debra pulled her into another quick hug before nudging her towards the stage. Her own song blasted throughout the room as she walked.

When she made it to the stage, one of the presenters held out the Grammy to her and she gently took it in her hands before hugging the presenters. They walked off to the side of the stage to let Avery give her speech.

“There are so many faces out in the crowd who should have been up on this stage instead of me. I don’t know why it’s me but I’m glad my agent told me to write a speech,” Avery laughed a little. “I’d like to thank the Academy for even considering me in this group of extraordinary people. Thank you to my team behind the scenes who help put on each one of my shows. Thank you to my band who helps put my music into the world. And to my agent. Without them, I’d be nowhere near this stage. And to the fans. I love you all so much.”

Avery only won one of the three awards she was nominated for, but it didn't bother her in the slightest. The joy she had felt for winning once was enough to last a lifetime. And deep down inside her, she knew that wouldn’t be the last time she would be on that stage. Because with Debra as her manager, anything was possible.


	16. A Pregnancy Moment that was Missed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Avery helps Debra when her emotions get the best of her.

When Debra woke up one morning, she was exhausted. It wasn’t surprising. She was seven months pregnant and pushing herself to the limits even though the doctor and Avery had told her to take it easy. Sleeping was hard too and it was almost impossible for Debra to find a comfortable spot to doze off in. Even the mornings were rough as Snowflake always woke up early, wanting to go outside.

Avery stretched as the alarm continued to blare and quickly reached over to turn it off before her wife woke up. It was no use as Debra was awake already. She sighed, wanting her wife to rest whenever possible. She knew Debra would be up and ready to start the day in the next few minutes. Even Avery, who wasn’t pregnant, needed to rest more than Debra was getting then.

“You can go back to sleep. Your appointment isn’t for another few hours,” Avery suggested, hoping her wife would take the offer. 

“It’s fine, I need to get ready,” Debra said and pushed herself up with her elbows to sit up.

“I wish you’d let me help you,” Avery sighed. She was still laying in bed herself.

Debra leaned forward and kissed Avery’s forehead before getting out of bed and disappearing into the bathroom. Avery took the opportunity to tend to Snowflake’s needs.

Debra’s confidence had been a problem for her ever since she found out she was pregnant. She knew it would happen, but she didn’t like that her body was changing. Her hormones were all over the place which meant she was happy one moment and was crying the next. Then she would be angry. It was exhausting for Avery, but even more so for Debra as she was the one who had a hard time controlling them.

Debra undressed and made the water hotter than usual to soothe her back and aching muscles. She washed her hair and body before getting out and getting dressed. She couldn’t help but stare at her new body in the mirror, examining every new curve in her body. When she couldn’t look at herself anymore, she quickly got dressed. But it was too late. The hormones had kicked in and tears welled up in Debra’s eyes.

Avery started to talk as she walked in. “Hey, I fed Snow-”

Debra quickly wiped her tears away but it was too late. Avery had seen the evidence that Debra was not okay.

Avery rushed over to Debra. “What’s wrong, honey?”

Debra shook her head. “It’s fine.”

In times like this, Avery knew she had to step up. Debra wasn’t one to talk about her feelings and in this case, Avery knew it was best to gently push Debra to tell. She grabbed Debra by the shoulders, forcing the older woman to look at her. Debra was only a few inches taller than Avery and when they were close together, their height difference was obvious.

“Tell me what’s wrong,” Avery whispered and that was all it took for Debra to break.

“I-I don’t feel like myself,” Debra sobbed. “I don’t even look like myself anymore and I can’t go a day without crying and-”

Avery pulled Debra into a hug and kissed the side of her head. Debra stiffened her body as Avery pulled her in. She was only into physical touch when she was the one who suggested it. However, she clutched onto Avery like a lifeline and Avery couldn’t help but feel bad. She was the one who was supposed to be pregnant. All she could do was support Debra and try to make her feel like the queen Avery thought she was.

“I have an idea,” Avery said, pulling away. “Let’s dress you up. We can do your hair and you can paint your nails. It’ll be fun. Maybe you’ll start to feel like yourself again.”

“I can’t reach my toes to paint them,” Debra said, wiping her eyes with a tissue she found.

“I can do it,” Avery said softly. She bent down and opened up their nail polish drawer in the bathroom. Avery had a lot of black nail polish while Debra also had black, red, and other darker colors.

“Red,” Debra said. Avery could already tell that Debra was returning to her normal self. 

Debra sat on the toilet lid and Avery sat on the floor in front of her, painting her nails. She hummed softly but stopped when Debra talked to her.

“Don’t get it on my skin,” Debra reminded her.

“I know how to paint,” Avery said softly.

Debra just nodded and watched Avery’s face. It held a focused expression as she hummed a song that Debra didn’t recognize. When her toenails were red, Avery helped her pick out her outfit which was Debra’s favorite blazer that made her feel hot and powerful. She was even able to convince Debra to wear flats instead of heels.

“Let’s do your hair,” Avery said. Debra agreed and sat down on the bed while Avery softly brushed her blonde hair. She ran her hands through it. “You have a nice natural hair color.”

“My mom always dyed hers blonde. And then she did mine when I was old enough. But I would never do it myself like she could,” Debra said softly.

Avery was surprised. She didn’t realize the weight of why Debra always dyed her hair. She hadn’t kept up on the job for a few months as it took hours to do so the roots of her natural hair peeked through. Avery was able to cover to roots up with the blonde and twisted her hair into a bun on the back of her head.

“Let’s do your makeup,” Avery said.

“Avery, it’s fine. We don’t need to-”

Avery was quick to shush her. “Come on. It’ll be fun.”

Debra sighed and agreed, allowing Avery to put on some eyeliner and mascara on. When she was done, she helped Debra up and guided Debra to the mirror in the bathroom. She stood behind her and wrapped her arms around Debra.

“You’re beautiful,” Avery said, also looking at Debra in the mirror. She kissed her cheek before resting her chin on Debra’s shoulder. “I’ve had to learn it too. But it doesn’t matter what you look like. If you’re carrying a baby or not. You’re always beautiful to me.”

“Please don’t make me cry again,” Debra said. Avery laughed softly and kissed Debra’s cheek again before letting her go.

* * *

“This way please,” The nurse said. Debra and Avery followed the nurse to the room for Debra’s exam. The nurse got Debra’s weight, height, temperature, and blood pressure before disappearing. They were left alone to wait for the doctor to show up.

Debra sat on the examination table. She wasn’t nervous like she was during the first two appointments but that didn’t mean she wasn’t defensive. Avery couldn’t help but sigh in relief when her wife was too tired this time to put up a fight with the doctor.

The doctor ran the wand across Debra’s stomach and pointed at their baby girl’s features. Avery held Debra’s hand as they watched. 

“There’s the head and the feet,” Their doctor said as she pointed to their baby’s body parts. “In a few weeks your baby will move into position for birth and we’ll keep a close eye on you. But as for now, you and your baby are healthy.”

The excitement that Avery felt every time she saw her baby on the monitor never got old. She couldn’t believe her wife was carrying an actual baby and they were healthy. She never wanted a baby when she was younger but as she had grown up and her friends in high school started having babies after graduating, she realized she wanted it too.

It was hard for Debra to admit it, but she was just as excited for her baby to be delivered. She thought her baby girl was already so beautiful. She had never even considered having kids until Avery had brought up the idea. She had always thought that it wouldn’t be a good idea for her to be a mom, but this was real and it was definitely happening and she needed to adapt her thoughts on having children.

“You can hold it while I fill out some information,” The doctor offered and handed Debra the wand before going about her business with typing. 

Avery scooted closer to the table where Debra was laying and rested her head by Debra’s. She didn’t really care what the doctor thought. She was sure couples did this all the time. 

“There’s our beautiful girl,” Debra whispered. 

“So beautiful, just like you,” Avery whispered back. 

Debra couldn’t help but roll her eyes as she kept looking at the screen. It was hard to believe that picture was actually inside her. She was growing a human being. 

Avery kissed her shoulder and squeezed her hand comfortingly as they took in the last moments with their baby before they had to turn the machine off. 

“Let’s go get you guys some lunch,” Avery said after they were free to leave. 

Debra agreed and Avery took her wife’s hand as they left the clinic. Avery let Debra choose the restaurant they grabbed lunch at since she had a bad morning. Debra had chosen Openaire. The very spot where they had lunch together six years earlier. They sat across from each other and Avery watched Debra choose something off the menu. 

Debra was so beautiful to Avery. The light makeup was enough to cover up Debra’s exhaustion that showed on her face. But even if there was no makeup, Debra would still be the most gorgeous human being to Avery. Her bright eyes, perfect nose, and pink lips made the prettiest human and that just so happened to be Debra.

“Okay, what about Zoe?” Avery asked, looking up from her phone. They were about finished with their meals.

Debra grunted at the name and Avery took the hint, moving onto the next name.

“Kayla?” She read.

“She isn’t a Kayla,” Debra rejected the name.

“Eleanor?” Avery asked and then made a face when she realized what she had said.

“No family names,” Debra said, shaking her head.

“But it’s your mom’s,” Avery pressed gently. “It could even be a middle name.”

Debra sat back and rested a hand on her stomach, looking at Avery quite seriously. “I don’t think I’d be able to look at my daughter if we named her that.”

Avery nodded and took the hint to move on. She sighed after a minute of scrolling. She knew Debra wouldn’t like any of the names that the website had to offer.

“We could just name her Elizabeth,” Avery said. She was about to give up.

But Debra scrunched her nose. “After our middle names? No. You can write a whole song and have it break the charts but we can’t think of a name for our daughter? Look at a different website.”

Avery obeyed and clicked around before taking a sip of her water and looking at Debra. “What about Bailey?”

Debra looked surprised, thinking for a moment. “I actually kind of like that.”

“We’ll add it to the list,” Avery smiled and put her phone down, deciding that was enough for one day.

“I’m going to the restroom and then we can leave,” Debra said, getting up to leave. She walked to the bathroom and took care of her business before exiting the stall and washing her hands.

“How far along are you?” An older lady asked as she washed her hands as well.

“I have to get back to my wife,” Debra responded. Normally she would have said a harsh comment back to the lady but if she was being honest, she was afraid that she would begin to cry if she said something.

“You look to be about five months along,” The lady said.

“I-I’m twenty seven weeks,” Debra said and tried to walk away. The lady didn't get the hint as she began to talk more.

“You couldn’t possibly be that far along yet,” The lady said. “I’ve had three kids. I know my way around.”

“My doctor said I’m healthy,” Debra said.

Much to her surprise, the lady reached out and placed the palm of her hand on Debra’s stomach without asking. Debra froze. She didn’t know why she couldn’t think of anything to say. She felt like she was about to burst into tears when someone else entered the bathroom.

“Ma’am, I’m going to need you to step away from my wife,” Avery said. She wrapped an arm protectively around her waist.

The lady removed her hand and glared at them before leaving.

Debra wiggled out of Avery’s arm, shakily trying to voice what she needed. “Please don’t touch me.”

Avery nodded and took her hand off Debra’s waist before suggesting that they leave. Debra agreed and they both walked out of the restaurant to find Avery’s car. They climbed in and both took a minute to collect their thoughts.

“Are you okay?” Avery asked, looking at Debra and making sure that she was giving the space that Debra needed.

“I was so stupid. Seven months ago, I could have handled this and now-” A loud sob cut her off.

“I’m so sorry she thought that was okay. I’m glad I came to find you,” Avery said softly.

“What’s wrong with me?” Debra asked through her tears.

“Nothing, baby! You’re exhausted from running on only a few hours of sleep,” Avery said. She reached out and rubbed Debra’s back, sighing in relief when Debra didn’t pull away.

“Sorry,” Debra said.

“It’s okay. Let’s go home and rest,” Avery said and pulled the car out of the parking lot to go home.

When they got home, Avery helped Debra kick her shoes off and helped her into a comfortable position on the couch. She turned the TV on and switched on Debra’s favorite show, The Price Is Right, before sitting next to her, resting her head on Debra’s shoulder. Even Snowflake joined them by laying beside their feet.

After a few episodes, the couple agreed that they were getting hungry. Debra grabbed her phone to call one of her chefs who she used on a regular basis but Avery kissed Debra’s shoulder and offered to cook herself.

Debra stayed busy by watching more TV while Avery ran through the kitchen, making spaghetti. She filled a pot with water and boiled it before dumping the noodles in. The simple dinner didn't take long to make but when Avery was finished, Debra had already fallen asleep on the couch.

“Hey, babe,” Aver whispered softly. “Dinner is ready.”

Debra startled awake and Avery was quick to calm her down. They ate dinner together on the couch while keeping the TV on. When they finished their food and the episode of the TV show, Avery quickly cleaned up and put all the dishes back in the correct spots. Debra began to complain about her lower back hurting and Avery knew just the thing to help her aching muscles.

“I should have gotten a house with a bigger jacuzzi,” Debra sighed, looking at her own indoor jacuzzi.

“This is pretty big,” Avery told her. “Come on, I’ll help you.”

Debra agreed and Avery helped her take her clothes off before taking her own off. She held onto Debra’s waist and her hand as she helped lower her into the water. Avery sat down after her.

“Sit in front of the jet,” Avery instructed and Debra did as she was told, happy to have pressure on her lower back.

“I feel so useless,” Debra admitted. “I probably won’t even be able to get out.”

“Nonsense, I’ll help you,” Avery promised, scooting over to her wife and nuzzling into her neck. “You’re the furthest thing from useless, baby.”

Debra nodded and readjusted her body so the jet was soothing her straining muscles. She leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes, trying to focus on breathing through the back pain. 

“Your back’s already messed up, isn’t it?” Avery laughed slightly.

“Scoliosis,” Debra grunted. “A doctor found it at the hospital when I was a kid.”

“Huh,” Avery shrugged. She was always learning new facts about Debra every day. She rubbed Debra’s back some while the two of them enjoyed the silence.

“I like Bailey as a name,” Debra said after a while. Her eyes were still closed.

“I like it too,” Avery said.

“I would be okay with using my mom’s middle name as her middle name,” Debra sighed.

Avery lifted her head up from Debra’s shoulder. “Really?”

Debra nodded. “Eleanor Lynn. Bailey Lynn.”

“That’s really beautiful, Debra,” Avery said softly.

“Thank you,” Debra said just as softly.

Avery nodded and snuggled back into Debra’s side. She was just as exhausted as Debra was but she wouldn’t allow herself to sleep until she knew that Debra was happy in bed.

“Why don’t we get out before our fingers get all wrinkly?” Avery suggested. Debra let out a noise of agreement and Avery stood up to help her wife up. When they were both safely outside the jacuzzi, Avery found the fluffiest towel to wrap Debra up in before wrapping herself up in one. After the two of them were ready for bed, they snuggled up in the giant bed, ready for sleep.

Avery passed Debra’s pregnancy pillow to Debra, the only thing that helped her fall asleep. Avery stayed on her side of the bed as most nights Debra tossed and turned before finally drifting off. But on that night, it didn’t look like it would take Debra to fall asleep.

Debra looked up at Avery. “You can sleep closer, you know.”

“I just wanted to make sure you had all the space you need,” Avery explained but scooted closer to her wife. The door creaked open, startling Avery before she looked up and realized that Snowflake was joining them. She laughed a little at herself before turning back to Debra.

“Thank you for today,” Debra said.

“It’s my job to make sure you’re treated right while you do the most important job,” Avery explained to her wife who was half asleep. She brushed back some of Debra’s loose hair that had fallen in her face before kissing her cheek and snuggling up to her wife and falling asleep herself.


	17. Nobody is Normal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bailey gets bullied in school.

Bailey was so excited! She was starting sixth grade. It was her last year of elementary school before she started middle school. She couldn’t wait to begin learning. Her mom always said that she was smarter than the average student and her mama just said the other students were dumb. 

So at six in the morning, Bailey shot out of bed to get ready for the day ahead of her. She put on her favorite sweatshirt along with jeans. She pulled her hair into a high ponytail and brushed her teeth before heading into the kitchen where Avery was cooking pancakes. 

“Hey, Sunshine,” Avery grinned and placed a pile of pancakes in front of her. Whipped cream, blueberries, and strawberries covered the top of the pile. Avery passed her a cup of orange juice as well before sitting next to her. “How did you sleep?”

“Okay,” Bailey said, shoving food down her throat. 

“Are you ready for school?” Avery pressed, trying to start a conversation. Bailey seemed more worried about school but she nodded her head. 

“Mama will pick you up after okay?” Avery asked. “Hey, are you listening?”

Bailey nodded again. “Yes.”

“Look for her car, not for mine. I’ll be at the studio,” Avery instructed. Bailey nodded, too distracted by the pancakes. Avery could only hope that Bailey wouldn’t get in the wrong car. Avery fixed herself a cup of coffee before sitting back down. 

Eventually breakfast was finished and Avery cleared their places while Bailey put her shoes on. Once they got in the car, Avery noticed that Bailey started to get a little nervous. Instead of talking, she simply played with her keychain that was hooked onto her backpack. 

Avery reached over and held Bailey’s hand. “It’ll be fine. You’re gonna make lots of friends and you’re gonna do great in class.”

Bailey sucked in a deep breath and nodded. Her mom was right, everything would be fine. 

* * *

“What’s your name?” Mrs. Cooper asked. She was a young teacher who had a lot of experience with kids. 

“Bailey,” She responded. She nervously fiddled with the bottom of her sweatshirt. 

“It’s nice to meet you,” Mrs. Cooper said. “Why don’t you go find your desk and put your stuff in your desk?”

Bailey nodded and found her desk at a group with two boys and another girl. She put her notebooks and pencils in her desk and waited patiently for class to begin. Her other desk members were goofing off and she tried to keep up with the jokes but the hyper kids were making it difficult for her to join in. 

The bell rang for class to begin and Mrs. Cooper shushed everyone before passing out a piece of paper. It was an easy assignment where she answered questions like her favorite color and food so her teacher could get to know her. 

After, they did review problems of what they learned last year in school with their previous teachers. Bailey was able to answer those questions with flying colors and before she knew it, it was time for lunch and recess. 

She looked around for a table to sit at. A little girl who she recognized from class was sitting alone, eating a sandwich. Bailey decided that she would sit with her. She marched up to the table and sat across from the girl, pulling out her lunch that Avery made her. It consisted of her own sandwich, pretzels, gummy worms, and a bottle of water. 

“I’m Bailey,” She announced and the little girl looked up. 

“I’m Sadie,” The girl said, smiling a little before taking a bite of her sandwich. 

Lunch was filled with silence between the two of them but it was okay with Bailey because at least she wasn’t sitting alone. She finished her lunch and threw out her trash before lining up for recess. 

The playground was big. It had swing sets, slides, jungle gyms, monkey bars, and even a firepole to slide down. Bailey felt a little overwhelmed because there were so many kids but she eventually found her desk mates by the swings, hanging out. 

“Hi,” She said. 

“Hey,” one of the boys said. Bailey remembered that his name was Ben. She sat down next to the other boy. His name was Mike. 

“As I was saying,” Ben began. “My dad is a firefighter. It’s super cool. Sometimes I can ride in his truck.”

“That’s super cool,” The girl, Kelsey, agreed. 

“One of my moms is a music artist. She’s been on tour sometimes,” Bailey said. 

“Oh, yeah, you have like a famous mom,” Kelsey said, brushing her off. 

“Wait, one of them? You have two? That’s weird,” Ben said, scrunching up his nose. 

“It’s not weird!” Bailey defended, yelling a little. 

“My dad said that people who like the same gender are gross and we should not interact with them,” Mike said. 

Bailey felt overwhelmed with the mean words that were being thrown at her. Her parents weren’t gross. They just didn’t understand. 

“Yeah, what’s wrong with marrying a guy?” Kelsey said, laughing a little when she noticed how flustered Bailey was becoming. 

“Are you a lesbian too?” Ben asked, moving away from her. 

Bailey didn’t know what to do. She had never been bullied so badly before. Of course kids had teased her before but nothing that made her eyes well up with tears like now. 

“That means like one of them isn’t actually your mom, right? Because it takes a boy and a girl to have a kid,” Mike rambled.

“Leave me alone!” She growled at the trio and ran off. She didn’t know anybody else on the playground and Sadie was nowhere to be found. She crawled in the bottom of a slide and hid there for the rest of recess. 

For the rest of the day, she tried not to think about the incident at recess. It was hard enough that the people who made fun of her also had to sit by her. Each time she thought about what had happened, tears pooled in her eyes and she wiped them away quickly before anyone could notice. 

Finally after what felt like forever, the bell rang, ending the school day. Bailey quickly packed her things up and ran out to the front of the school to wait for Debra to pick her up. Cars lined the outside of the school and she tried her best to look for Debra. 

After a while, the cars picking up students had died down, but Debra’s car was still nowhere to be seen. Had her mama forgotten about her? Should she call her mom? Her questions were answered when Debra’s car sped around the corner, skidding to a stop. Bailey dashed for the car, not wanting to be there any longer.

“Sorry about that, Princess,” Debra said, taking off into the direction of their home.

“It’s fine,” Bailey said. 

“How was school?” Debra asked.

Bailey didn't want to offend her moms by telling the truth, so she decided to lie.

“It was okay,” She said.

Debra looked at Bailey. She was picking at her cuticles and chewing on her lip. 

“What’s wrong?” Debra asked, keeping her eyes on the road.

“Nothing,” Bailey responded. She stopped her nervous actions.

“Don’t lie,” Debra reprimanded her.

“I said nothing!” Bailey said a little louder.

Debra brushed her off. Avery was always better at stuff like this. 

“Fine, don’t tell me,” Debra huffed, ending the conversation before watching a car in front of her weave lanes. “I hate LA traffic,” She told Bailey. “Choose a fucking lane!” She yelled out the window before looking back at Bailey. “Don’t repeat that in front of your mom.”

Bailey was quiet the rest of the night. Avery had tried to get Bailey to crack, but even she was no use. Bailey ate her dinner, took a shower, and went to bed early. The next morning, she dressed in a huge sweatshirt to hide herself from the bullies. Debra was home while Avery was in the studio early. Debra made sure she ate breakfast.

“Shit,” Debra swore, going through her pockets. “I forgot to make your lunch. Here’s some money. Make sure you eat, okay?”

Bailey nodded and stuffed the bills into her backpack for safe keeping. Debra drove her to school and reminded her that Avery would be picking her up from school that day, unlike the day before.

When Bailey walked into her class, she already sensed there would be trouble. She sat at the desk and instantly Mike scooted his chair away from her.

“Sorry,” Mike said, although he didn't seem very sorry. “My dad said I should stay away from you.”

“Yeah, I don’t want to become a lesbian,” Kelsey said. Ben just sickered.

Bailey already felt like crying. Was this what sixth grade was going to feel like the whole time? Would they ever stop bullying her for something that she couldn’t control? She loved her moms so much and she hated to see the other kids picking on people they didn’t even know.

“Shut up!” Bailey yelled and ran out of the classroom, finding her way to the nearest bathroom to cry in. She hoped no one followed her. She already had tears streaming down her face and she couldn’t stop them now. She slid down the wall and cried into her arms. She couldn’t believe this was happening. All she wanted was to have a good sixth grade. Eventually the door opened and Mrs. Cooper walked in. She looked very concerned.

“Bailey, what’s wrong?” She asked. “We need to be in class.”

“People are being mean,” She sobbed more. Mrs. Cooper could barely understand her.

“Who?” She prompted Bailey to speak more.

“Ben, and Mike, and Kelsey. At recess,” Bailey sniffled.

“What are they saying?” Her teacher wondered.

“They’re being mean because I have two moms.” Bailey wiped her tears away.

“There’s nothing wrong with having two moms,” Mrs. Cooper said. 

“But they said so!” Bailey began to cry again.

“Well, they’re just wrong,” Mrs. Cooper said. “I’ll punish them. Their behavior was out of line completely.”

Bailey nodded. She still didn’t feel the best but she didn’t want to take anymore of her teacher’s time.

“Can we come back to class now? I promise that they won’t bully you anymore,” Mrs. Cooper said.

Bailey took a minute to wipe the tears from her eyes and Mrs. Cooper helped her up before they walked back to the classroom. True to her word, Mrs. Cooper punished the three kids and they were expected to apologize to Bailey. Bailey didn’t buy into their apologies but she said it was okay anyways because she didn’t want to make a fuss over it. And like the day before, she stayed quiet until it was time to leave.

When Avery picked her up from school, she was quiet the whole ride home. Avery was very worried, especially when she went straight to her room when they got home without a single word. When it was time for dinner, Avery forced her to come out of her room so she could eat with her and Debra.

“Bailey, you haven't said a word all day, what is going on? And don’t lie again,” Debra said after they all finished eating.

“Nothing,” Bailey said.

“Stop lying,” Debra snapped.

“Can we not raise our voices?” Avery asked.

“Do you not care that there is something clearly wrong with our daughter?” Debra glared at Avery.

“Of course I do, but snapping isn’t going to get her to tell us what’s wrong,” Avery said.

Bailey couldn’t help but burst into tears at that moment. They were loud and ugly and she couldn’t stop them no matter how hard she tried. Avery instantly kneeled next to Bailey and pulled her daughter into a hug while Debra sat at the table, watching the scenario in front of her.

“Can you please tell me what’s wrong? I’m so worried,” Avery said, running her hands through Bailey’s hair.

“People keep saying that it’s weird that I have two moms and I know you’re not my real mom but I love you and I don’t think you guys are weird and-”

“Honey, calm down please. You’re working yourself up,” Avery said, hugging the girl tighter. Debra was shocked. Out of all the things that could have happened at school, she didn’t think this would be one of them.

“Well then fuck them,” Debra said.

“Well, let’s hold on a minute,” Avery said. She didn’t want Bailey to cuss anyone out at school. She pulled back from the hug but kept her arms wrapped around Bailey’s waist and looked at her in the eyes. “We are a family, blood related or not. I’ll always be your mom. Those kids are so closed minded that they don’t realize that different is good. You know what’s weird? Leading a normal life. That’s weird. And besides, nobody is normal.”

“But they won’t even sit by me,” Bailey sniffled.

“You might not be able to change their minds,” Avery said, choosing her words carefully. “But that’s not on you. That’s on them. And if they can’t accept your family, then why interact with them anyways?”

Bailey nodded. She knew her mom had a point. She didn’t want to be friends or even acquaintances with these people if they weren’t going to respect her. Avery brought her in for another hug and she rested her head on Avery’s shoulder, burying her face into her neck. She felt Debra rub her back some, muttering something under her breath. Even that calmed Bailey down. 

* * *

The next morning, Debra stormed into Mrs. Cooper’s classroom. She was mad. How dare her teacher allow her daughter to get bullied? Of course she didn’t know the full story, but she didn’t care. She was angry and everyone needed to step out of the way. Mrs. Cooper snapped her head up, looking slightly terrified as Debra marched over. 

“Do you have a teaching degree?” Debra asked. 

“I do,” Mrs. Cooper told her. 

“Really?” Debra asked, narrowing her eyes. “Cuz I have a hard time believing you if you’re letting my daughter get bullied.”

“I wasn’t aware of the situation at first but since I’ve found out about it, I’ve made sure the bullying has stopped. It’s hard because I’m not always the one watching the kids at recess but I’ve put an end to this,” Mrs. Cooper said, not making eye contact. 

Debra learned over Mrs. Cooper’s desk. “If my daughter ever sheds a tear because of this class again, I will personally make sure that not another school will hire you.”

“Okay,” Mrs. Cooper said. She had tears in her own eyes now as she watched Debra march out of the classroom. 

* * *

“You yelled at her teacher?” Avery gasped. “Remember what happened last year? You were banned from the classroom!”

They were in their room, getting ready for bed. Bailey was already fast asleep. 

“Our daughter was being bullied!” Debra said. “I’m not going to allow that to happen.”

“I’m not either but I would like to be on good terms with her teacher,” Avery said. “Now I have to go and apologize!”

“I just don’t want her to get bullied. That really sucks,” Debra said, sitting on the bed.

“I know it does, and we’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again. Besides, she has us to fall back on in case anything happens,” Avery said, rubbing Debra’s back a little. “She’ll be fine.”

Debra took a deep breath and nodded. Avery was right, Bailey would be fine. 

* * *

“Hey.” Bailey heard a voice behind her and turned around. Sadie was standing behind her where she was swinging on the swing set. 

“Hi,” Bailey said and kept swinging. 

“You have two moms,” Sadie said. 

“If you think it’s weird then go away,” Bailey said, annoyed. 

“I don’t think it’s weird. I think it’s cool,” Sadie said, getting on the swing next to her. 

“You do?” Bailey asked, surprised. 

“Yeah!” Sadie said. 

That recess, they talked about everything from school, to Bailey’s mom being famous, to having a sleepover. It was a start to a beautiful friendship and maybe something more. 


End file.
